The Ryder Cup is almost here, but who will be making the trip to Rome to play for Team Europe and Team USA?
For the first time, the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup will be held in back-to-back weeks. The Solheim Cup taking place in Spain from September 22-24. The Ryder Cup then follows the week after in Italy, played from September 29 – October 1.
48 players will feature across the European and US teams for the two events, and some of those places have already been secured.
In this piece, we focus on the Ryder Cup and the players who have already qualified, for the three-day event which will be held at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome.
Take a look at the teams below…
Team Europe
Matt Fitzpatrick (WP)
Tyrrell Hatton (WP)
Viktor Hovland (WP)
Robert MacIntyre (EP)
Rory McIlroy (EP)
Jon Rahm (EP)
Ludvig Aberg*
Tommy Fleetwood*
Nicolai Hojgaard*
Shane Lowry*
Justin Rose*
Sepp Straka*
(EP – European Points List, WP – World Points List, * indicates Captain’s Picks)
Six Europeans assured themselves of a place in Rome thanks to their season-long performances, qualifying automatically for the Ryder Cup.
Those six players are split into two sets of three. Three qualified from the European Points List, with three qualifying for the team from the World Points List.
Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm both secured enough points on the European Points List to guarantee their places at Marco Simone early on, with Robert MacIntyre taking his spot after the final week of the European Qualifying Period.
Rory McIlroy has won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and the Genesis Scottish Open in 2023, both Rolex Series events on the DP World Tour. He has also finished in the top ten at the PGA Championship, US Open and the Open Championship this year.
The Northern Irishman has featured in every Ryder Cup since 2010, winning four of the six editions of the competition with Europe. McIlroy has a total of 14 points from his six previous appearances in the Ryder Cup.
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Jon Rahm won four time in four months to kick off 2023, culminating in his second major title. He was victorious at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, the American Express and Genesis Invitational before winning the Masters Tournament at Augusta National in April. He also finished in the top ten at both the US Open and the Open Championship.
The Spaniard will feature at a Ryder Cup for the third time. He made his debut in Paris in 2018, and was Europe best player at Whistling Straits in 2021, earning 3.5 points on American soil.
Robert MacIntyre will be making his debut in the Ryder Cup in 2023. He will become the first Scotsman to feature in the competition in nine years. His consistency over the course of the season assured him of a place at Marco Simone, where he won the DS Automobiles Italian Open twelve months earlier.
Viktor Hovland was the first man to have qualified via the World Points List. The Norwegian won the Memorial Tournament at Jack’s Place in June, and carded a course record 61 to come from behind to win the BMW Championship. He then backed that up with a victory at the Tour Championship to go back-to-back and to claim the 2023 FedEx Cup.
He also finished inside the top 20 at all four majors, including a runners-up finish at the PGA Championship. This will be Hovland’s second Ryder Cup appearance, and after scoring just a single point from five matches in 2021, he will be hoping for better in Rome.
Tyrrell Hatton also secured his spot from the World Points list. The Englishman did not win in 2023, but he finished runner-up at the PLAYERS Championship, and also made it to the Tour Championship, the PGA Tour’s season-finale.
This will be Hatton’s third consecutive appearance for Team Europe in the Ryder Cup, having featured in both Paris and Whistling Straits. He has 2.5 points from his 7 matches so far, and will be looking to improve on that record in Rome.
The third and final man from the World Points list to make the team is England’s Matt Fitzpatrick. After winning his first major title at the US Open in 2022, Fitzpatrick then went on to win the RBC Heritage on Hilton Head Island in April of this year.
The Englishman will be making his third appearance in the Ryder Cup, after featuring at Hazeltine and Whistling Straits. This will be Fitzy’s first Ryder Cup on European soil.
Team Europe captain Luke Donald selected his six captain’s picks to complete the European 12-man squad on September 4.
Tommy Fleetwood will make his third consecutive appearance in the Ryder Cup when he plays at Marco Simone. The Englishman was one half of that incredible partnership with Francesco Molinari in Paris, and he will be hoping for the same sort of output on home soil this time round.
He won the Nedbank Golf Challenge in November of last year, and although he is still yet to win on the PGA Tour, Fleetwood has been a consistent performer all season. He also finished inside the top ten at both the US Open and the Open Championship.
It hasn’t been the best of years for Shane Lowry but his passion and fire for Team Europe is exactly what captain Luke Donald is looking for in his 12-man squad.
Lowry’s last victory came at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth twelve months ago but he did finish inside the top 20 in three of this season’s four major championships. He will make his second appearance in the Ryder Cup, and his first on European soil after a debut at Whistling Straits in 2021.
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Justin Rose made his way back into the winners’ circle for the first time in four years in 2023. He was victorious at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February and followed it up with a top ten finish at the PGA Championship.
He was unable to make it through to the Tour Championship despite battling on the final day at Olympia Fields. However, Rose’s Ryder Cup experience will be vital for Team Europe in Rome. This will be his sixth appearance in the competition, and his first since Paris in 2018.
Arguably the most talked about selection for the European team over the last month has been Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg. He was the top-ranked amateur in the world in June before turning professional, and has had an astonishing rise.
Aberg won the Omega European Masters on Sunday, his first DP World Tour title in just his sixth appearance. Despite only being 23-years-old, the Swede catapulted himself into contention with his recent performances. He will be one of several debutants in the European team in Rome.
Another of those making their first Ryder Cup appearance will be Sepp Straka. The Austrian has had a breakout season across both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, winning the John Deere Classic. He also finished inside the top ten at two majors, including a runners-up finish at the Open Championship, his best in a major to date. Straka will become just the second Austrian to feature in this competition, following Bernd Wiesberger’s debut in 2021.
The last spot in Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup team was awarded to Nicolai Hojgaard. The Dane has two DP World Tour titles already at the age of just 22, and has finished in the top six in three of his last four events. He will become the fourth Danish player to feature in the Ryder Cup, after Thomas Bjorn, Soren Hansen and Thorbjorn Olesen.
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Team USA
Patrick Cantlay
Wyndham Clark
Brian Harman
Max Homa
Xander Schauffele
Scottie Scheffler
Sam Burns*
Rickie Fowler*
Brooks Koepka*
Collin Morikawa*
Jordan Spieth*
Justin Thomas*
(* indicates Captain’s Picks)
Following the conclusion of the BMW Championship, the top six players in the US Ryder Cup standings were assured of their qualification to play in Rome in September.
Scottie Scheffler topped the pile after his incredible play over the last couple of years. First-time major champions Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman are joined by Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa and Xander Schauffele as the six men to automatically qualify for Team USA.
Scottie Scheffler has been in incredible form for the last few years, and that continued into the early part of 2023. He won the Waste Management Phoenix Open and the PLAYERS Championship in the early part of the year. He also finished in the top ten at the first three majors of the year, including a runner-up finish at the PGA Championship.
The World No.1 will feature at the Ryder Cup for the second time after going unbeaten in 2021. He won 2.5 points from his three matches at Whistling Straits.
Patrick Cantlay is another who is unbeaten at the Ryder Cup. He secured 3.5 points from four matches at Whistling Straits. The American will be back for his second appearance in the sport’s premiere team competition. Although he has not won in 2023, his form has been consistent, with nine top-tens on the PGA Tour over the course of the season.
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Xander Schauffele took three points from a possible four in his Ryder Cup debut a couple of years ago. He will be back for a second appearance. He made two top-tens in the majors, finishing in a tie for 10th at both the Masters Tournament and the US Open. He took the last of the six automatic qualifying spots thanks to a T8 finish at the BMW Championship.
Max Homa will make his debut at the Ryder Cup this year, coming off the back of a perfect four points from four at the Presidents Cup in 2022. Homa has a win in 2023, having secured victory at the Farmers Insurance Open in January. He also finished in the top ten at the Open Championship.
Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman both won their maiden major titles in 2023. The pair will also feature at the Ryder Cup for the first time in September. Clark won the US Open while Harman lifted the Claret Jug. The pair both qualified in the top three on the US Ryder Cup standings.
Team USA captain Zach Johnson picked six players to complete his 12-man squad on August 29.
Jordan Spieth will return for a fifth successive Ryder Cup appearance, and he has been a bright spark for Team USA in recent years. The three-time major champion has 9.5 points from 18 matches over his four previous appearances.
His partner in Paris, Justin Thomas, was the main talk ahead of Zach Johnson’s picks. Despite his poor form, Thomas has been given a place in the 12-man squad. He has 6.5 points from nine matches over his two previous appearances in the competition.
Rickie Fowler will also return for a fifth Ryder Cup, and his first since making the trip to Paris in 2018. His win at the Rocket Mortgage Classic earlier this year was his first on the PGA Tour in over four years. He has 5.5 points from his four appearances, and he will be hoping to improve on that record in Rome.
Now a five-time major champion, Brooks Koepka will be the only American LIV Golf player in action in Rome. He won the 2023 PGA Championship and finished runner-up at the Masters Tournament a month earlier. Koepka has 6.5 points from his previous three appearances in the Ryder Cup.
Collin Morikawa will be looking to keep his Ryder Cup form going after his amazing debut in 2021. He took 3.5 points from four matches at Whistling Straits. He finished runner-up at the Rocket Mortgage Classic to Fowler, and also came home in the top 10 at the Masters Tournament earlier this year.
Sam Burns adds to the rookie contingent, and as the only rookie picked by Zach Johnson. Burns finished the 2023 PGA Tour season strongly, with a top-ten result at the Tour Championship. He won the World Golf Championship-Dell Technologies Match Play earlier this year, showing his class in this format of golf.
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