Ryder Cup Power Rankings: The Marco Simone MVPs
As Europe win the Ryder Cup yet again on home soil, NCG’s Matt Chivers arranges his power rankings based on each player’s performance in Rome…
Europe win the Ryder Cup! You simply cannot keep them down on home soil.
Tommy Fleetwood did the business to make sure the Ryder Cup came back to the continent on a tense day at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.
Now the three days are done and Europe has won 16.5 – 11.5, I have attempted to rank all 24 players based on their performances.
Not an easy task – so forgive me if you don’t agree with our light-hearted look at the week’s events!
Best Ryder Cup performances
24. Rickie Fowler
The less said about Rickie Fowler the better.
He has still only won three matches in his Ryder Cup career and was nought from two this week as well.
23. Jordan Spieth
The three-time major champion only earned one point via two halves. He was erratic, as he sometimes can be, and such a good player will be disappointed.
22. Nicolai Hojgaard
It wasn’t the Ryder Cup debut this rookie had dreamt of. He played three matches and earned half a point while playing with Jon Rahm in the Friday fourballs.
21. Xander Schauffele
Xander Schauffele earned his first full point of the week against Nicolai Hojgaard in the singles, and although he put a red point on the board, it was largely a week to forget for the Olympic gold medallist.
20. Scottie Scheffler
The World No.1 endured a horror week, if we’re honest. He and Brooks Koepka surrendered an unlikely half in the Friday fourballs before they were beaten 9&7 in the Saturday foursomes. Just one point via two halves for the American.
19. Brooks Koepka
The PGA Champion was humbled with Scheffler in the first session on Saturday, but he showed Ludvig Aberg who was boss on Sunday with a dominant singles display.
18. Sam Burns
Sam Burns showed a fight in the Saturday fourballs with Collin Morikawa as they dealt with Hovland and Aberg with ease. But it was a tough Ryder Cup debut with just one point earned.
17. Matt Fitzpatrick
Matt Fitzpatrick’s miserable Ryder Cup record continued as he was beaten by the marvellous Max Homa on the 18th hole in the singles. The Englishman has earned one point in three Ryder Cups for Europe.
16. Sepp Straka
Sepp Straka may have only earned one point in three matches, but his quality didn’t go unnoticed and he fought bravely against a tough singles opponent in Justin Thomas.
15. Justin Thomas
The two-time PGA champion was a contentious pick. He delivered in the singles, but he and Spieth only got half a point in three matches together on the continent.
14. Collin Morikawa
Morikawa and Burns had reasons to be cheerful when silencing Europe’s Scandinavian duo yesterday, but he failed to beat Hovland in 2021 and again in Italy in 2023.
13. Shane Lowry
Shane Lowry enjoyed every second of this Ryder Cup. He and Straka secured a point together in the Friday foursomes, and he earned half a point against Jordan Spieth in the singles. More than enough to enjoy this victory!
12. Wyndham Clark
Wyndham Clark might’ve expected a better Ryder Cup debut. He won, halved and lost. He contributed, but ultimately, his US Open heroics were behind him.
11. Ludvig Aberg
The man who turned professional in 2023 formed a fruitful partnership with Viktor Hovland and earned two points from four matches in the pairs sessions. Perhaps it was a learning curve against Koepka.
10. Robert MacIntyre
Fantastic Robert MacIntyre! He could easily have folded under the immense pressure, but he beat the US Open champion and won 2.5 points this week. Take a bow!
9. Justin Rose
Justin Rose formed a superb partnership with Robert MacIntyre. He took the Scot under his wing and produced much magic across the week. He bumped into an in-form Cantlay on Sunday.
8. Brian Harman
The Champion Golfer of the Year performed admirably alongside Max Homa all week. The rookie pair won both matches on Saturday, and the diminutive American made a solid debut.
7. Patrick Cantlay
Whether it was down to a story about his cap or not, we must take ours off to the American who bagged impressive points in the Saturday fourballs and was inspired against Justin Rose in the singles too.
6. Tommy Fleetwood
He won the winning point! The man from Southport harnessed the home crowd’s energy all week to earn three points in four matches.
5. Viktor Hovland
3.5 points for the FedEx Cup champion this week. It was a stellar second start for Team Europe for an outstanding European player.
4. Max Homa
I tipped Max Homa to be America’s best player this week and I was vindicated. He beat Matt Fitzpatrick in the singles to earn 3.5 points this week. Homa showed so much quality and spirit in Italy.
3. Tyrrell Hatton
Hatton earned the first singles win of his Ryder Cup career and he earned 3.5 points at Marco Simone, where he’s previously won the DS Automobiles Italian Open.
2. Jon Rahm
Rahm formed a fantastic partnership with Tyrrell Hatton and secured a vital half with Scheffler in the top match on Sunday. The Masters champion always leads by example.
1. Rory McIlroy
He’ll be gutted not to go five-in-five like Francesco Molinari in 2018, but McIlroy will settle for helping Europe earn four points – and a car park bust-up for the ages.
How much did you enjoy this Ryder Cup? Tell us on X, formerly Twitter!
Now read: Future Ryder Cup venues
Now read: Who will be the next European Ryder Cup captain?
Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.
