This combination of photos features the European Ryder Cup golf team. Top row, from left to right, are Ludvig Åberg of Sweden, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, and Tyrrell Hatton of England, Rasmus Højgaard of Denmark, and Viktor Hovland of Norway. Bottom row, from left to right, are Shane Lowry of Ireland, Robert MacIntyre of Scotland, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, Jon Rahm of Spain, Justin Rose of England, and Sepp Straka of Austria.
Rory McIlroy
Age: 36. Country: Northern Ireland. World ranking: 2. Ryder Cup record: 16-13-4. Career wins: 41. 2025 wins: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, The Players Championship, Masters, Irish Open. Majors: Masters (2025), PGA Championship (2012, 2014), US Open (2011), British Open (2014). Ryder Cup teammates: Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia, Thomas Pieters, Andy Sullivan, Thorbjorn Olesen, Shane Lowry, Matt Fitzpatrick. Ryder Cup moment: Remembering how he forgot Medinah was in Central Time and needed a police escort to get to the course on Sunday, then defeating Keegan Bradley in the singles.
Reflection: His dream year of completing the Career Grand Slam by winning the Masters is missing one final gem. McIlroy won the Irish Open, showing he's in shape to try for two winning European teams.
Robert MacIntyre
Age: 29. Country: Scotland. World ranking: 9. Ryder Cup record: 2-0-1. Career wins: 4. 2025 wins: None. Majors: None. Ryder Cup teammates: Justin Rose. Ryder Cup moment: Going undefeated in his 2023 Ryder Cup debut at Marco Simone. Reflection: MacIntyre managed to raise his profile without winning this year. He had a shot at the US Open until JJ Spaun sealed it. He lost a big lead to Scottie Scheffler at the BMW Championship but managed to break into the top 10 for the first time in his career.
Tommy Fleetwood
Age: 34. Country: England. World ranking: 6. Ryder Cup record: 7-3-2. Career wins: 8. 2025 wins: Tour Championship. Majors: None. Ryder Cup partners: Francesco Molinari, Viktor Hovland, Rory McIlroy, Nicolai Højgaard. Ryder Cup moment: Co-starred in “Molinari” with Francesco Molinari, where they went 4-0 together in France. What to watch: His popularity in the U.S. will be tested at the Ryder Cup. Fleetwood endured painful closes to his first PGA Tour title before finally winning the Tour Championship for the FedEx Cup.
Justin Rose
Age: 45. Country: England. World ranking: 14. Ryder Cup record: 14-9-3. Career wins: 24. 2025 wins: FedEx St. Jude Championship. Majors: US Open (2013). Ryder Cup teammates: Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell, Martin Kaymer, Francesco Molinari, Henrik Stenson, Chris Wood, Jon Rahm, Robert MacIntyre. Ryder Cup moment: Making a 45-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole against Phil Mickelson in a key comeback win at Medinah. Takeaway: Rose is the oldest player at this Ryder Cup and is second only to Rory McIlroy in appearances.
He mocked American players for trying to unite too much, but he has been a key player for Europe over the years.
Rasmus Højgaard
Age: 24. Country: Denmark. World ranking: 57. Ryder Cup record: 0-0-0. Career wins: 5. 2025 wins: None. Majors: None. Ryder Cup teammates: Rookie. Ryder Cup moment: Securing his spot on the team in the final week of qualifying. Reflection: His identical twin, Nicolai, made his Ryder Cup debut in Rome. Højgaard had his biggest moment beating Rory McIlroy on home soil last year at the Irish Open. He had two runner-up finishes late in the year that secured his spot at Bethpage Black.
Tyrrell Hatton
Age: 33. Country: England. World ranking: 25. Ryder Cup record: 5-4-2. Career wins: 10. 2025 wins: Hero Dubai Desert Classic, LIV Golf Nashville. Majors: None. Ryder Cup teammates: Paul Casey, Jon Rahm, Shane Lowry, Viktor Hovland. Ryder Cup moment: Going unbeaten in four matches at Marco Simone. Reflection: Hatton is one of two LIV Golf players on Team Europe and has won on both the European Tour and the LIV Golf League. He was also in the mix at the U.S. Open until a bit of bad luck struck him in the final round at Oakmont.
He has formed a good pair with Rahm.
Shane Lowry
Age: 38. Country: Ireland. World ranking: 24. Ryder Cup record: 2-3-1. Career wins: 7. Wins in 2025: None. Majors: British Open (2019). Ryder Cup teammates: Rory McIlroy, Tyrrell Hatton, Sepp Straka. Ryder Cup moment: Making a 10-foot par putt on the 18th to win a fourball match with Hatton in his debut. Takeaway: Lowry lost a chance to win at Pebble Beach to McIlroy. He came within a whisker of winning a marquee PGA Tour event in Philadelphia. The Irishman is yet to win this year and will have to ignore the fans at Bethpage.
Jon Rahm
Age: 30. Country: Spain. World ranking: 73. Ryder Cup record: 6-3-3. Career wins: 22. Wins in 2025: None. Majors: Masters (2023), US Open (2021). Ryder Cup teammates: Ian Poulter, Sergio GarcĂa, Tyrrell Hatton, Nicolai Højgaard. Ryder Cup moment: Defeating Tiger Woods in France in his Ryder Cup debut. Reflection: Rahm wasn't part of LIV Golf the last time he played in a Ryder Cup. He didn't win a tournament this year but still led the LIV Golf points list. He was briefly tied with Scottie Scheffler on the back hole of the PGA Championship before falling apart.
Sepp Straka
Age: 32. Country: Austria. World ranking: 15. Ryder Cup record: 1-2-0. Career wins: 4. 2025 wins: The American Express, Truist Championship. Majors: None. Ryder Cup teammates: Shane Lowry. Ryder Cup moment: Joining Lowry to earn his only Ryder Cup point on Marco Simone. Takeaway: Straka has had two big wins this year on the PGA Tour, one of them in a marquee event in Philadelphia. However, his game struggled toward the end of the season. He missed two tournaments to be home in Georgia with his wife and newborn.
Viktor Hovland
Age: 27. Country: Norway. World ranking: 11. Ryder Cup record: 3-4-3. Career wins: 11. 2025 wins: Valspar Championship. Majors: None. Ryder Cup teammates: Paul Casey, Tommy Fleetwood, Bernd Wiesberger, Ludvig Ă…berg, Tyrrell Hatton. Ryder Cup moment: Chipping in from 45 feet on the first hole of his first match in Rome. Reflection: Despite claiming to struggle with his swing and not knowing where the ball is going, Hovland managed to win on the PGA Tour to stay atop the world rankings. His game and swing are never too far from form.
Ludvig Ă…berg
Age: 25. Country: Sweden. World ranking: 16. Ryder Cup record: 2-2-0. Career wins: 3. 2025 wins: Genesis Invitational. Majors: None. Ryder Cup partners: Viktor Hovland. Ryder Cup moment: Teaming up with Hovland for a 9 and 7 foursomes victory over Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka, the shortest 18-hole match in Ryder Cup history. Locution: He started the year ranked No. 5 and won a feature event at Torrey Pines. The rest of the year has been a struggle, though. He's had four top-10 finishes since Torrey Pines but hasn't been in serious contention.
Matt Fitzpatrick
Age: 31. Country: England. World ranking: 29. Ryder Cup record: 1-7-0. Career wins: 10. Wins in 2025: None. Majors: US Open (2022). Ryder Cup teammates: Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy. Ryder Cup moment: Finally getting the chance to play fourballs in his third Ryder Cup. Reflection: His fourth Ryder Cup appearance was in doubt until Fitzpatrick connected with his swing coach Mark Blackburn, hired a new caddie, and has been making up for lost time quickly. His selection by the captain was helped by it being an away match for Europe.
