European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald’s 12-man squad looks a lot like the one that routed the U.S. in Rome two years ago by the score of 16 1/2-11 1/2.
Donald made his six captain’s picks on Sept. 1 to complete his team, welcoming back Shane Lowry, Ludvig Aberg, Jon Rahm, Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland and Matt Fitzpatrick. All six have previous Ryder Cup experience and were part of the team in 2023. In fact, the only new player on the team is Dane Rasmus Hojgaard, who replaces his twin brother Nicolai from the winning side in Rome.
But winning on foreign soil is a different animal. The European Ryder Cup team will attempt to retain the Cup and win on the road for the first time since 2012.
Let’s take a closer look at the full squad, which includes six automatic qualifiers: Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Justin Rose, Robert MacIntyre and Rasmus Hojgaard.
Rory McIlroy
Not that there was ever a doubt that he’d be on this team, but the Northern Irishman was the top points-getter among the Euros, earning 3,489.21. McIlroy won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Players Championship and a Green Jacket to complete the career Grand Slam. The world No. 2, who is playing in his eighth straight Cup since 2010, has a lifetime record of 16 wins, 13 losses, and 4 halved matches (16-13-4), securing 18 points.
Robert MacIntyre
The Scotsman will be part of Team Europe for a second straight time. MacIntyre, 29, won twice last year on the PGA Tour, including the tournament he considers to be his fifth major, the Scottish Open. This season, he finished second at the U.S. Open and BMW Championship. In Rome, MacIntyre had a record of 2-0-1 and beat Wyndham Clark in singles.
MacIntyre sealed his spot after finishing in second place behind Scottie Scheffler at the BMW. “Bob has put in some big performances on both sides of the Atlantic this season, and that fine form combined with his experience from 2023 will be invaluable in New York,” said Donald.
Tommy Fleetwood
The Englishman has been a key cog on the last three European Ryder Cup teams since making his debut in Paris in 2018. Fleetwood has a lifetime record of 8-3-2. He and Francesco Molinari formed a winning team, known as Molli-wood, in 2018, and Fleetwood won the clinching point in Rome last time when he defeated Rickie Fowler in singles.
Fleetwood has had another season of steady performances and capped it off with that elusive first win on the PGA Tour, claiming the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup on Sunday.
Justin Rose
The 45-year-old Englishman will compete in his seventh Ryder Cup. He holds a record of 15-9-3. Rose lost a sudden-death playoff to teammate Rory McIlroy at the Masters but found the winner’s circle at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, edging J.J. Spaun in a playoff. Rose was the only player age 40 or older to win on the Tour this season. Rose has been a thorn in the side of Team USA in the past and Euro captain Luke Donald likely is banking on more Ryder Cup heroics from his fellow Englishman.
Rasmus Hojgaard
The 24-year-old Dane was the last man in and didn’t make it official until the completion of play on Sunday at the Betfred British Masters.
Rasmus won the 2024 Irish Open in September, his fifth career win on the DP World Tour, becoming the youngest player since Jose Maria Olazabal in 1989 to collect five wins on the European Tour. By finishing T-13 at the British Masters, he jumped past Sepp Straka and Shane Lowry in points. He will be a Ryder Cup rookie, replacing his brother, Nicolai, who played on the victorious 2023 team in Rome.
“Rookies can bring an energy and excitement that inspires even the most experienced players, and having been part of the team behind the team in Rome, I have no doubt that Rasmus will be full of enthusiasm for the challenge of Bethpage Black,” Donald said.
Tyrrell Hatton
The Englishman qualified for Team Europe for a fourth time on the back of claiming two victories during the qualification period – at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and Hero Dubai Desert Classic. He also racked up points for a runner-up finish at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and a tie for fourth at the U.S. Open in June. It’s even more impressive given that he played mostly on LIV Golf, where he didn’t earn any points. But he’s been a fixture on the Euro squad since 2018, and went 3-0-1 playing alongside Jon Rahm, his LIV teammate, in team matches.
Shane Lowry
After getting knocked out of the automatic six by Ramsus Hojgaard on the final week of qualifying, Lowry was selected by Captain Donald and will make his third straight appearance on the European team. Lowry owns a 2-3-1 career Ryder Cup record in 2021 and 2023. The 38-year-old Irishman is ranked No. 23 in the world. He has teamed twice with Sepp Straka and once with Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton. Lowry made it to East Lake this season but was winless this year and hasn’t recorded a top-10 finish on the PGA Tour since the Truist Championship in early May.
Sepp Straka
The 32-year-old Austrian native had a banner year, winning twice this season on the PGA Tour at the American Express in January and the Truist Championship in May.
Straka cooled off considerably after finishing third at the Memorial on June 1. He made the Tour Championship but finished last. He reached a career-best No. 7 in the world earlier this season but has slipped back to No. 13. This is his second straight appearance on Team Europe. He went 1-2 in Rome in 2023.
Ludvig Aberg
The 25-year-old Swedish sensation won the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines in February and climbed to No. 4 in the world. He made a Sunday charge at the Masters that fizzled late and endured back-to-back missed cuts at the PGA Championship and U.S. Open. He dipped to 14 in the world but is finding better form of late. He finished T-9, T-7, T-21 in the three FedEx Cup playoff events.
Aberg’s meteoric rise after turning pro in the summer of 2023 was capped off by going 2-2 in Rome in 2023, including partnering with Viktor Hovland for a 9-and-7 beatdown of Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka.
Viktor Hovland
The Norwegian is back for his third consecutive tour of duty on Team Europe. Hovland won the Valspar Championship in March and finished third at the U.S. Open, but continues to search for the form that had him at the peak of his game in 2023 in Rome. He’s dropped from No. 3 in the world to No. 15.
Hovland, 27, could be a pivotal player in determining the outcome of the Ryder Cup. In 2021, he went 0-3-2 in Europe’s defeat at Whistling Straits but made amends for his performance with a 3-1-1 record in Team Europe’s victory in 2023.
Jon Rahm
The Spaniard, 30, joins Tyrrell Hatton as one of two LIV Golf members on Team Europe. Rahm made some noise at the PGA Championship (T-7) and U.S. Open (T-8) and his LIV team won the team title. Also, he claimed the individual title but the Ryder Cup will likely make or break his year. Rahm will represent Team Europe for the fourth consecutive Cup and holds a lifetime record of 6-3-3.
Matt Fitzpatrick
The 30-year-old Englishman admitted his game has taken a dip since his victory at the 2023 U.S. Open, but he rediscovered his mojo after the Masters in April, stringing together 16 straight cuts made worldwide and six top-10 finishes. Fitzpatrick, who fell to No. 34 in the world, didn’t make it to East Lake this year, but has shown he’s on the rebound. Can he keep it going at the Ryder Cup, which has been a bugaboo for him? He has a career mark of 1-7 lifetime.
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