The 45th Ryder Cup is in the books, and it was Europe holding off the U.S., 15-13, despite winning just one singles match on Sunday at Bethpage Black.
The Europeans dominated the first two days, riding its stars to a record, seven-point lead through four sessions, but a day later, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm all lost to give the Americans hope. Scottie Scheffler closed with a singles point over McIlroy, though it only salvaged a 1-4 week.
In the end, Europe claimed its ninth Ryder Cup in the last 12 editions.
Here’s how we’re grading each players’ performance:
Europe
Tommy Fleetwood – A
Record: 4-1
Strokes gained total: +6.24
Comments: Not only the Nicklaus-Jacklin Award winner but the MVP as well. Let Justin Thomas steal a singles point on the back nine Sunday, but prior to that he was nails, going undefeated in team play alongside Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose. The iron play was spectacular, and at 11-4-2 in his career – 6-0 in foursomes alone – he’s quickly climbing the ranks of all-time European Ryder Cuppers.
Justin Rose – A-
Record: 2-1
Strokes gained total: +4.59
Comments: At 45 years old, this could be Rose’s final Ryder Cup. If it is, what a way to go out for the veteran, now 16-10-3. He turned in the best putting performance of the week, by far, in Saturday four-balls while sparring with Bryson DeChambeau and a couple caddies. And he battled back against the Americans’ best player, Cameron Young, to take the opening singles match to the 18th hole.
Matt Fitzpatrick – A-
Record: 2-1-1
Strokes gained total: +4.39
Comments: This grade is relative. He entered this Ryder Cup a paltry 1-7 in his career, but he quickly established himself as the top performer in Friday foursomes alongside Ludvig Aberg. He was fine in his Saturday matches but proved his mettle once again against DeChambeau in singles, going 5 up through seven and forcing DeChambeau to make six birdies just to earn a tie.
Rory McIlroy – B+
Record: 3-1-1
Strokes gained total: +2.56
Comments: The heart and soul of the team, and he took the brunt of the New York crowd’s vitriol while still producing in a big way. He ran out of gas against Scheffler in a singles match that he described as a “pillow fight,” but the Europeans don’t win this week without McIlroy, who is now 19-14-5 in his career.
Jon Rahm – B+
Record: 3-2
Strokes gained total: +2.35
Comments: Through three sessions, Rahm was balling. He and Tyrrell Hatton quieted DeChambeau and Thomas in the leadoff foursomes match on Friday, and it wasn’t until the approach play and putter left him on Saturday afternoon that he lost a point. Xander Schauffele then dusted him, 4 and 3, the most lopsided singles defeat, to keep the Spaniard from reaching double-digits wins for his career.
Shane Lowry – B+
Record: 1-0-2
Strokes gained total: +0.10
Comments: He’ll remember that retaining point forever – and we’ll remember the celebration. Russell Henley was the best player on Sunday in strokes gained total, and Lowry beat him with a 6-under, bogey-free round. He was less sharp in his two four-ball halves alongside McIlroy, but he made some crucial putts, especially on Saturday afternoon, and doubled as a bodyguard.
Tyrrell Hatton – B+
Record: 3-0-1
Strokes gained total: -0.09
Comments: Lots of B+’s and higher on the European squad. Hatton pushed to 4-0 in foursomes alongside Rahm, whom he combined for 11 birdies with. He then jumped in last minute on Saturday afternoon to pair with Fitzpatrick and had some huge putts in a four-ball match against Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay that featured just three won holes. The putter cooled on Sunday and he drove it poorly again, otherwise we may have been looking at a 4-0 week.
Ludvig Åberg – C+
Record: 2-2
Strokes gained total: -4.73
Comments: Looked great in Friday foursomes, then not so great in the next two sessions. He ended up losing strokes everywhere except off the tee, though his 2-and-1 singles win over Cantlay marked Europe’s only full point on Sunday.
Bob MacIntyre – C
Record: 1-1-1
Strokes gained total: -1.35
Comments: Looked more comfortable in his second Ryder Cup. Bounced back from a Friday foursomes loss with Viktor Hovland to win their Saturday foursomes match, then earned a halve with Sam Burns in singles, though it’s worth noting that Burns didn’t card a birdie on the back nine, which both players entered tied.
Viktor Hovland – C-
Record: 1-1-1
Strokes gained total: -2.79
Comments: Gifted a free half-point after withdrawing from singles, his neck injury clearly affected him well before that and limited him to just two matches.
Sepp Straka – D+
Record: 1-2
Strokes gained total: -4.64
Comments: With a newborn in the NICU, Straka was battling more than golf this week – and considering that, performed admirably. But this is a grade solely based on his play, and Straka was statistically the worst on approach on either team. He went 1-1 alongside Rahm in four-balls, though the loss can probably be attributed to both he and Rahm equally. Then in singles he led 2 up early before letting Spaun flip the match in a big way with five bogeys.
Rasmus Hojgaard – F
Record: 0-2
Strokes gained total: -6.15
Comments: Played just twice while finishing at the bottom of the field in strokes gained total. Ben Griffin lost more strokes than any American on Sunday – and he still beat Hojgaard.
Luke Donald – A+
Comments: What else is there to say that wasn’t said in Rome? He filled door cracks, replaced shampoo and bedding, and again left no other stone unturned to build his case as the best European captain ever.
[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Sep 27, 2025; Bethpage, New York, USA; Team USA’s Bryson DeChambeau bumps fists with Cameron Young on the 2nd hole during the foursomes on the second day of competition for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. Mandatory Credit: Paul Childs-Reuters via Imagn Images
Paul Childs-Reuters via Imagn Images
U.S.
Cameron Young – A
Record: 3-1
Strokes gained total: +5.06
Comments: After sitting the opening session, the rookie could not be denied. He gained over five shots per round to lead the U.S., and his only loss came alongside Justin Thomas in Saturday four-balls, a day after the two throttled Ludvig Aberg and Rasmus Hojgaard, 6 and 5. His closing birdie on No. 18 in singles against Justin Rose was the first domino to fall for the Americans on Sunday.
J.J. Spaun – A-
Record: 2-1
Strokes gained total: +2.27
Comments: Another standout rookie, as Spaun flashed his elite ball-striking. He birdied each of his last two holes to flip a Saturday four-ball match against Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka, then beat Straka again on Sunday. He should’ve played more.
Xander Schauffele – B+
Record: 3-1
Strokes gained total: +0.78
Comments: Another guy who probably had a case to go all five sessions, though he struggled mightily with the putter in Saturday foursomes. Otherwise, he was exactly what he’s been for these U.S. teams over the years – a dependable performer and leader.
Justin Thomas – B
Record: 2-2
Strokes gained total: +0.94
Comments: Got off to a disastrous start alongside Bryson DeChambeau in that Friday foursomes match but settled in nicely after that. He got 2 down early to Tommy Fleetwood in singles before flipping the match right after the turn. He also birdied the last, right after Young, to provide another spark to a comeback-hopeful American side. Like Schauffele, these U.S. teams need his leadership.
Bryson DeChambeau – C+
Record: 1-3-1
Strokes gained total: +3.62
Comments: The record probably looks worse than how he actually played. It’s still hard to ignore that he’s 2-5-1 in team play with seven different partners, including four this week. Stormed back in singles after being 5 down to Matt Fitzpatrick to earn a half-point, though he needed a full point there.
Scottie Scheffler – C+
Record: 1-4
Strokes gained total: +0.32
Comments: Another guy whose record was not indicative of his performance. He became just the third player ever to lose in each of the first four sessions, though his 1-under round on Sunday was enough to fend off an exhausted Rory McIlroy. If you want to blame an area of his game this week, it was the chipping more than the putting.
Russell Henley – C-
Record: 0-2-1
Strokes gained total: +3.1
Comments: Didn’t earn a full point, but statistically, he was the best in singles; he just ran into a buzzsaw in Shane Lowry. On the other hand, his foursomes success with Scheffler never re-materialized after Montreal.
Patrick Cantlay – C-
Record: 1-3-1
Strokes gained total: -2.79
Comments: Had a promising start with a Friday foursomes win with buddy Schauffele, but it all fell apart after that. He went all five sessions, yet it was easy to forget he was even playing.
Collin Morikawa – D
Record: 0-2-1
Strokes gained total: -1.13
Comments: His foursomes partnership with Harris English was never going to work if you believed Data Golf, which ranked that combo as the worst among 132 options for the U.S. And yet, they were sent out like pigs for slaughter not once but twice. This performance isn’t surprising, considering Morikawa has been off for months, notably with the flatstick, but at least he gutted out a half-point while gaining nearly a shot on the greens in Sunday singles.
Harris English – D-
Record: 0-2-1
Strokes gained total: -3.33
Comments: Mr. Envelope’s half-point came via Viktor Hovland’s injury withdrawal in singles, and his foursomes struggles alongside Morikawa were mentioned above. Hard to see English making a third Ryder Cup team.
Ben Griffin – D-
Record: 1-1
Strokes gained total: -4.81
Comments: The rookie played just twice, lost the most strokes on the American side, and the only reason he won his singles match is because Rasmus Hojgaard played just worse enough.
Sam Burns – F
Record: 0-1-2
Strokes gained total: -5.93
Comments: Harsh? Sure, but the PGA Tour’s best putter lost an average of 1.64 strokes on the greens, second worst on his team and third worst in the field. Much was expected in Burns’ second Ryder Cup, and he could only muster a half-point in singles as his traditionally average iron play cost him more than the putter.
Keegan Bradley – D+
Comments: Where Bradley fell short can be summed up by this quote on Saturday night with his team trailing by seven: “I think historically we play faster greens on the PGA Tour than they do.” This isn’t 1991. Every member of this year’s European team plays full-time on Tour; some have done so for over a decade. The course setup was a major issue, as the lack of rough and overall difficulty negated any advantage guys like Scheffler or DeChambeau would’ve had. The Europeans are no longer a collective of plodders; McIlroy, Rahm, even rookie Rasmus Hojgaard hit the ball far. And yet, Bradley’s passion clearly rubbed off by Sunday, as his players salvaged a respectable two-point defeat. It sounds crazy, but with the setup out of the U.S. captain’s control in Ireland in 2027, why not run Bradley back and create some sense of continuity.
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