Ryder Cup 2025: Predicting Team Europe including Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and wildcards
Team Europe will look to retain the Ryder Cup later this year after brilliantly defeating Team USA in Rome in 2023
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Your support makes all the difference.The countdown to the 2025 Ryder Cup continues as Team Europe plot their route to upsetting the United States at Bethpage Black in New York and becoming the first away side to win a Ryder Cup since ‘the miracle at Medinah’ in 2012.
The US entered the 2023 competition as big favourites to defend the trophy they claimed with a dominant victory at Whistling Straits in 2021 but captaincy brilliance from Luke Donald and stunning performances from the likes of Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton led Europe to a sublime 16.5-11.5 triumph in Rome.
Popular skipper Donald has already been confirmed as captain once again for the 2025 edition and will try to secure that most elusive of Ryder Cup accomplishments – an away win – having been a player in the European triumphs on the road in both 2004 and 2012.
The European selection process has been tweaked for 2025, with six players qualifying automatically via one overarching Ryder Cup points list as opposed to three via the world rankings and three via the European points list. Donald will still then have six captain’s picks to make up the team of 12 and faces a number of tough calls, including complications around the eligibility of talismen Jon Rahm and Hatton, who both play in the LIV Golf breakaway league.
Here, The Independent sports team examines who is a lock to make the European side and where Donald might turn to find an inspirational wildcard:
Team Europe for the 2025 Ryder Cup
The locks
Rory McIlroy
Europe’s beating heart, Rory McIlroy’s emotion spilled over in Rome, but his record was impeccable, going 4-1 over the three days. The Irishman has expressed concern about the uncertainty surrounding Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton’s involvement and his stance may well sway any potential shift in policy. The major drought continues, yet McIlroy keeps racking up titles away from the big four tournaments as he stormed through on Sunday to win the PGA Tour signature event Pebble Beach Pro-Am in early February, having claimed the DP World Tour Championship and thus a sixth Race to Dubai title at the back-end of 2024. Donald will count on McIlroy going five matches again if Europe can defend the trophy.
Ludvig Aberg
Not a maiden PGA Tour title, but the Genesis Invitational victory confirmed Aberg’s aura as one of the greatest talents in a generation as a first signature event win. Next? A major, of course. His short putting aside, Aberg looked robotic tee-to-green at Torrey Pines and outdid Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy by +0.62 and +0.71 respectively over four rounds. He may spark a rivalry with Scheffler if he can sustain this level and that thumping 9&7 victory in Rome provides a compelling storyline should they meet again at Bethpage.
Tommy Fleetwood
Has steadily improved year after year and is now a permanent fixture in the world’s top 20, even as that pesky first PGA Tour win still agonisingly eludes him with a T5 at February’s Genesis Open the latest impressive result but ultimate near-miss. Secured a seventh DP World Tour win at the Dubai Invitational in January 2024 and then brilliantly claimed a silver medal at the Paris Olympics that summer. Something of a Ryder Cup veteran now and will be on the team for a fourth time at Bethpage, having taken three points from four matches in Rome – two of which came from a formidable foursomes partnership with McIlroy – taking his overall Ryder Cup win percentage to a remarkable 67 per cent. Will Fleetwood Mac reunite in New York?

Tyrrell Hatton
The one LIV player to defy the system; Hatton has flourished despite the barriers between the rebel tour and the OWGR-sanctioned events. In fact, the fiery Briton has proven efficient and ruthless at times in the select events he has played when world ranking points are on the line. collecting wins at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and Hero Dubai Desert Classic. It leaves him eighth in the OWGR, but a clearer picture, illustrated by the Data Golf rankings, has him seventh. A lock for the team, despite his divisive personality, Hatton appears to be entering his prime at the perfect time to thrive in the cauldron of Bethpage Black.
Viktor Hovland
Has dropped off slightly since his magical summer of 2023 when he triumphed at the Memorial, the BMW Championship and then the Tour Championship to become the third-youngest FedEx Cup winner in history before picking up 3.5 points while playing every session of Europe’s dominant victory Rome. Going down a swing mechanics rabbit hole meant 2024 was largely a lost season by the Norwegian’s high standards, although results began to pick up late in the campaign with a T2 at the FedEx St Jude Championship and a T12 at the Tour Championship. Even when struggling he was a top-10 player in the world and is too good not to regain his full form but will need to prove he’s back to somewhere near his best as 2025 progresses. Europe will need him to be a talisman to triumph at Bethpage, so pencil him in for at least four sessions.
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Likely in the team
Jon Rahm
A concern for Team Europe and Luke Donald, this is not the same Jon Rahm that was arguably the closest player to Scottie Scheffler at one point. Now out of the top 50 in the world, the Spaniard desperately needs a reaction at the Masters to remind the golf world of his ability. Rahm entered the top 50 way back in 2017 and was No. 3 when he joined LIV. Sixth in Adelaide, though six shots behind winner Joaquin Niemann, shows he is not completely gone. But Europe will need their world class players firing and Rahm is searching for something. T-45 at last year's Masters, cut at the PGA and a w/d due to a foot injury at the US Open, Rahm's only major result of comfort last year was T-7 at The Open, though he was never in contention as Xander Schauffele lifted the Claret Jug.

Bob MacIntyre
A stunning 2024 saw breakthrough victories on the PGA Tour (Canadian Open) and a home championship (Scottish Open), Bob MacIntyre then partnered up with one of his heroes, Andy Murray, at the BMW Championships Pro-Am. Quite how significant his maiden Ryder Cup, under the tutelage of Justin Rose, was in this breakthrough is unclear, yet there is a swagger to the Scot and he is seemingly closer to that “lock” category than anybody else. Now playing most of his golf in the US, MacIntyre also showed promising form to notch a T6 at the Phoenix Open in February 2025. Depending on Rose’s selection, Donald may need to find a new partner for what should be a European stalwart over the next decade, having taken two-and-a-half points from three matches last year.
Shane Lowry
Back in form already, a runner-up to Rory McIlroy at Pebble Beach, Shane Lowry is a foundational piece for Luke Donald and able to match with multiple players on the team. Another player likely to be a “lock” when you factor in his experience, though he only returned a 1-1-1 record in Rome. An interesting wrinkle to sharpen minds for Europe is the TGL, with Lowry’s The Bay defeating McIlroy's Boston Common Golf Club in February.
Sepp Straka
A captain’s pick last year, the Austrian forged a close bond with Shane Lowry, splitting foursomes before dropping a nailbiter in singles with Justin Thomas to post a 1-2-0 debut at the Ryder Cup. Respectable. Entered 2025 as one of the most likely men in the 2023 cohort to miss out on a spot at Bethpage, especially after an underwhelming end to 2024, but has started the year like a freight train. Claimed a third PGA Tour title by holding off that man Thomas to win The American Express in California, while also notching top-20 finishes at the Phoenix Open, Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Sentry in the first six weeks of the year.
Matt Fitzpatrick
Not far off the ‘locks’ category though Donald will be eager to see ‘Fitzy’ rectify his undeniable loss of form over the past year. A rather harsh-looking Ryder Cup record (1–7–0) on paper does go against him though. That putt to win the cup narrowly missed in singles against Max Homa, which could have lifted his status in this format. His length off the tee should enable him to compete at Bethpage Black.
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In contention
Justin Rose
Selection for the 2023 Ryder Cup felt like a race against Father Time for Justin Rose, so will another two years prove a bridge too far? His experience, including from Europe’s most recent away victory in Medinah in 2012, would be invaluable and he produced big moments in Rome en route to notching 1.5 points but he’ll be 45 years old when the latest edition starts. 2024 saw him largely hold his own both in terms of world ranking and results – with a T6 at the PGA Championship and a T2 behind Xander Schauffele at The Open particular highlights. As long as his form gets him into the selection conversation next summer, and a T3 at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February 2025 showed promise in that regard, Donald will surely prioritise him for a captain’s pick and a seventh Ryder Cup appearance.

Nicolai Hojgaard
Europe’s less-heralded Scandinavian rookie from 2023, Hojgaard picked up half a point from his three matches in Rome which he secured alongside Rahm against the power pairing of Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka in Friday’s fourballs. He showed flashes of his undoubted quality, as well as his youth, across the weekend and the experience will stand him in good stead for future Ryder Cup appearances. Now on the PGA Tour card for 2025, the Dane might need to fend off competition from his brother Rasmus and other contenders with some solid finishes to retain his place for New York.

Aaron Rai
A top-20 player in the world in September 2024 was not something many in the sport outside of Team Rai anticipated. But remarkable consistency, culminating in a maiden victory on the PGA Tour at the Wyndham Championship, put the 29-year-old in a commanding position to seize a Ryder Cup debut next year. A T23 at the Tour Championship, and making three cuts in the 2024 majors, including T19 at Pinehurst in the US Open, show Rai is trending nicely. It’ll be tricky to dislodge one of the incumbents, and he’ll need a strong 2025 to do so, but the man from Wolverhampton is perhaps the favourite to force Donald’s hand and shake things up.
Rasmus Hojgaard
Nicolai’s twin brother Rasmus is in contention to graduate to Ryder Cup status and two promising finishes on the PGA Tour so far in 2025, T-12 at the Phoenix Open and T-22 at Pebble Beach, give him a shot at wrestling a place away from the incumbent 12 players. A scintillating victory at the Irish Open in September 2024, where he outduelled McIlroy with a Sunday 65 to win by a stroke, was quickly followed a third place at the British Masters showed how competitive he is in elite company. Look out for his distance off the tee, with the Dane currently 11th (averaging 318.2 yards) on the PGA Tour. Rasmus is a front-runner to force Donald’s hand to remove one of his Rome heroes due to his place in third in the rankings at this early stage of the process. While Matt Wallace (527.42), as the first man out in seventh, has just over 270 points to make up, Fleetwood (419.58), as the biggest name outside the top six in 10th, has less than half the Dane’s points (798.63).
Thomas Detry
The Belgian appears to be a player on the rise as he enters his 30s, climbing into the world’s top 25 by cruising to victory at the Phoenix Open in February 2025 for his first PGA Tour victory and thrusting himself into the heart of the Ryder Cup conversation. That came after 2024 saw him become a consistent, if not spectacular, performer in US tournaments, missing just two cuts from March through to September, sprinkling in regular top-30 finishes as well as a T2 at the Houston Open, T4 at the PGA Championship, T14 at the US Open and T9 at the Olympics. The victory in Phoenix was the next step and if he continues his upward trajectory as the year progresses, he may well earn a spot on Donald’s team in New York.
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Outsiders
Alex Noren
Ageing like a fine wine, T-13 at the Open and T-12 at the PGA Championship, Alex Noren is one of the most meticulous, hard-working players in the game. The Swede can call on experience from the 2018 winning side, too, producing a 2-1-0 record, including a heavy, 5&4 win over Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, before returning in singles to beat the latter. Has his work cut out to get back in, but a big performance in a major would make Donald think hard, particularly with his compatriot Aberg, as a potential partner, a lock for the team.
Matthieu Pavon
A breakthrough year, capitalising on a late dash in 2023 to secure a PGA Tour card, has seen Pavon win the Farmers Insurance Open and produce impressive finishes at the Masters (12th) and US Open (fifth). A polished series of performances gives him a shot at becoming the first French player in the Ryder Cup since Victor Dubuisson in 2014 and just the fourth player overall to appear, alongside Thomas Levet and Jean van de Velde.

Matt Wallace
Matt Wallace has started to recapture the form that saw him go on a blazing hot streak back in 2018 to claim three European Tour titles and a top-20 finish at the US PGA Championship in a six-month period, before a T-3 at the following year’s PGA – which coincidentally was held at Bethpage Black. He was as high as 23 in the world at one point and he has started the qualification period for the 2025 Ryder Cup like a freight train. A top-10 at the British Masters, a brilliant European Masters victory to seal a first DP World Tour title for six years and a creditable T-12 at the star-studded BMW PGA Championship made up an impressive September 2024 for the 34-year-old Englishman. Currently just on the outside (7th) looking in on that top six to automatically qualify, which is his most likely path to the team, but Wallace will be bullish about his chances in 2025.
Predicted European team for the 2025 Ryder Cup
- Rory McIlroy
- Ludvig Aberg
- Tommy Fleetwood
- Tyrrell Hatton
- Viktor Hovland
- Jon Rahm
- Bob MacIntyre
- Shane Lowry
- Sepp Straka
- Matt Fitzpatrick
- Justin Rose
- Nicolai Hojgaard
This would be identical to the side that vanquished the United States in Rome and although plenty will change between now and September, this is the team that would be selected if the Ryder Cup was happening tomorrow. There’s plenty of time for the likes of Thomas Detry, Rasmus Hojgaard or Aaron Rai to knock off one of the players towards the bottom of the list, while it also relies on the LIV Golf situation not stopping the selections of Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton.
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