Luke Donald will announce his six captain’s selections for his Ryder Cup staff on Monday as Group Europe bid to develop into the match’s first away victor since 2012.
Donald already has a star-studded solid at his disposal — that includes 2025 stars Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood — and the captain’s picks will finalise what seems to be one of many strongest European sides in current reminiscence.
The Europeans will battle the U.S. staff at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, on Sept. 26-28.
They gained 16½-11½ final trip in Rome however no visiting staff has gained for the reason that Miracle at Medinah 13 years in the past.
We already know the U.S. picks — with captain Keegan Bradley opting towards choosing himself — so who will characterize Group Europe?
CAPTAIN
Luke Donald
There was a time when Group Europe captains would normally return for back-to-back appearances. In the beginning of the fashionable Ryder Cup period, between 1979 and 1995, Europe had solely three completely different captains: John Jacobs, Tony Jacklin and Bernard Gallacher. That is 9 tournaments break up between three completely different captains.
Group Europe have by no means had a repeat captain since. Group USA have not used the identical captain for 2 straight tournaments since Ben Hogan in 1949. What Donald will do at Bethpage is actually uncommon.
Apparently, it solely yielded three victories, two of which got here below Jacklin in ’85 and ’87. Ought to Donald information Europe to a different victory, he can be the one different individual to handle that feat.
Nonetheless, Donald can have the backing of the group. It was in a postmatch information convention at Marco Simone that Rory McIlroy gave his blessing.
“I feel everybody sitting right here can be very pleased to have him once more,” he mentioned.
Donald, who led Europe to a commanding victory in Italy, may even be hoping to develop into the primary European captain to win on U.S. soil since José María Olazábal with the “Miracle of Medinah.”
“Nice alternatives do not come alongside fairly often in life and I am an ideal believer that after they do, you should seize them with each fingers,” Donald mentioned in his announcement assertion.
“That is one in all these moments.”
QUALIFIED
Rory McIlroy
Ryder Cup appearances: 7 appearances (2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2023)Particular person match report: 16 wins, 13 defeats, 4 ties
Rory McIlroy was the primary participant to qualify for Group Europe at this Ryder Cup, and his eighth look on the well-known occasion comes after one in all his most memorable seasons.
The Northern Irishman infamously ended his Augusta Nationwide heartbreak and accomplished his profession Grand Slam by successful the 2025 Masters in a trademark chaotic vogue. That wasn’t his solely victory, although: He additionally had two wins earlier than the Masters at Pebble Seashore and TPC Sawgrass.
McIlroy’s post-April kind has been barely extra up-and-down — he missed the reduce on the Canadian Open and tied forty seventh on the PGA Championship — however he has nonetheless managed 4 top-10 finishes since then, together with at The Open at Royal Portrush.
Robert McIntyre
Ryder Cup appearances: 1 look (2023)Particular person match report: 2 wins, 0 defeats, 1 tie
Robert McIntyre could not have clinched any titles on the PGA Tour this 12 months, but it surely’s been a incredible season nonetheless for the Scot who has two runner-up finishes — on the U.S. Open and BMW Championship — and 6 top-10s.
His second look on the Ryder Cup comes after he made a near-perfect debut that noticed him go undefeated, together with a Sunday particular person victory over Wyndham Clark.
“Bob has put in some massive performances on either side of the Atlantic this season, and that high quality kind mixed along with his expertise from 2023 will probably be invaluable in New York,” Donald mentioned when McIntyre booked his spot.
Tommy Fleetwood
Ryder Cup appearances: 3 appearances (2018, 2021, 2023)Particular person match report: 7 wins, 3 defeats, 2 ties
Similar to McIlroy, Fleetwood will enter this Ryder Cup with a barely completely different feeling than all of the final. The Liverpool-born golfer picked up his first PGA Tour win after 164 makes an attempt that had been suffering from close to and painful misses.
His lifting of the FedEx Cup at East Lake Golf Membership put a contented finish to what was a traditionally tough spell. Put succinctly: He was one of the best golfer to have by no means gained on Tour. His 30 top-five finishes with no victory had been essentially the most on the PGA Tour prior to now 100 years, in line with ESPN Analysis.
With that over, Fleetwood can flip his consideration to the Ryder Cup the place he has been a dependable contributor for Group Europe. His seven match wins over the previous three Cups have seen him take down the likes of Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.
He twice partnered McIlroy final trip at Marco Simone. Will we see the identical once more at Bethpage?
Justin Rose
Ryder Cup appearances: 6 appearances (2008, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2023)Particular person match report: 14 wins, 9 defeats, 3 ties
At 45 years outdated, Justin Rose would be the oldest member of Group Europe and he brings expertise in addition to expertise to this roster.
He comes into the Ryder Cup in incredible kind, successful the the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August, in addition to managing a sixth-place end on the Scottish Open and sixteenth place at The Open. That is available in the identical 12 months that he completed second behind McIlroy in a playoff on the Masters.
The 2023 Ryder Cup was the primary time that Rose had been picked for the match — he had certified for all his earlier appearances — and he was paired twice with McIntyre the place they gained and tied earlier than he fell to a 2&1 defeat to Patrick Cantlay.
Rasmus Højgaard
Ryder Cup appearances: NoneIndividual match report: N/A
Rasmus Højgaard will make his Ryder Cup debut this 12 months after he secured the ultimate qualification spot with a tied-Thirteenth end on the British Masters.
It has not been Højgaard’s greatest 12 months but on the PGA Tour: He has beforehand managed one win yearly since he debuted in 2019. This 12 months, he has simply made a single top-10 — a second-place end on the Zurich Traditional of New Orleans.
At 24 years outdated, the Dane will possible be the youngest member of the staff, and he will probably be hoping to do higher than his brother, Nicolai, did on his rookie look in 2023 when he misplaced two and drew one, together with a singles defeat to Xander Schauffele.
Tyrrell Hatton
Ryder Cup appearances: 3 appearances (2018, 2021, 2023)Particular person match report: 5 wins, 4 defeats, 2 ties
The lone LIV participant to safe computerized qualification for Group Europe, Hatton will embark on his fourth Ryder Cup.
The Englishman managed to earn his berth for the match regardless of his LIV rating factors not counting towards his qualification. Nevertheless, his victories eventually 12 months’s Alfred Dunhill Hyperlinks and the Dubai Desert Traditional, alongside his main report that noticed him tied-fourth on the U.S. Open, was sufficient to guide his place.
Hatton was one in all Group Europe’s greatest performers final trip, successful three of his 4 matches and going undefeated.
POTENTIAL CAPTAIN’S PICKS
Observe: Luke Donald will verify his six picks for the 2025 Ryder Cup on Monday, Sept. 1 at 2 p.m. BST.
Jon Rahm
Ryder Cup appearances: 3 appearances (2018, 2021, 2023)Particular person match report: 6 wins, 3 defeats, 3 ties
Whereas Rahm is simply twenty fourth within the European rankings, there isn’t any manner the Spaniard will not be teeing up at Bethpage.
Rahm, whose lowly place is solely because of a scarcity of begins in DP World Tour occasions, claimed his second straight LIV Golf title in 2025 and likewise impressed within the majors, with top-15 finishes at Augusta, Quail Hole and Oakmont.
A two-time main winner and an imposing matchplay opponent, the 30-year-old can also be a Ryder Cup pure, claiming 7.5 factors from his three appearances. Count on him to be a key cog in Donald’s staff once more.
Shane Lowry
Ryder Cup appearances: 2 appearances (2021, 2023)Particular person match report: 2 wins, 3 defeats, 1 tie
Lowry could not have proven the shape we so typically see in majors in golf’s premier staff occasion, however the 38-year-old ought to add worthwhile expertise to Donald’s facet.
The Irishman, McIlroy’s greatest good friend in golf, missed out on computerized qualification by lower than 4 factors and has constantly impressed on the PGA Tour, with two second-place finishes this 12 months at Pebble Seashore and the Truist.
He’ll be determined so as to add to his 2.5 Ryder Cup factors.
Sepp Straka
Ryder Cup appearances: 1 look (2023)Particular person match report: 1 wins, 2 defeats, 0 ties
Straka regarded a Ryder Cup lock earlier this 12 months after two PGA Tour victories in 4 months. Whereas he ought to nonetheless make the staff, it is honest to say his kind has been a bit shaky since Could.
The Austrian, who missed the reduce in three out of 4 majors in 2025 regardless of being backed for achievement, completed a distant thirtieth on the Tour Championship at seven over par and has been inconsistent along with his putter specifically.
Nonetheless, his growth since 2023 is probably going to not have gone unnoticed by Donald.
Ludvig Aberg
Ryder Cup appearances: 1 look (2023)Particular person match report: 2 wins, 2 defeats, 0 ties
The shock choose and breakout star from Marco Simone is definitely going to be a pressure to be reckoned with at Bethpage, and for a few years to come back.
Aberg gained the Genesis this 12 months and completed seventh on the Masters earlier than going off the boil barely. His kind returned on the Scottish Open, and he goes into Monday’s announcement on the again of 5 straight top-25 finishes.
The Swede, nonetheless simply 25, gained half his matches on his debut and must be given the prospect to enhance his report additional.
Viktor Hovland
Ryder Cup appearances: 2 appearances (2021, 2023)Particular person match report: 3 wins, 4 defeats, 3 ties
It has been a topsy-turvy 2025 for Hovland, following up three straight missed cuts in February and March with a shock win on the Valspar. His exhibiting there, and kind since, ought to have secured his place.
Hovland made the reduce in any respect 4 majors — ending third at Oakmont — and ended his season with a top-10 on the BMW Championship earlier than putting twelfth on the Tour Championship. The Norwegian additionally has a stellar Ryder Cup report, taking part in in all 5 periods of each matches he is been concerned in.
Count on him to rekindle his high quality partnership with Aberg in some unspecified time in the future at Bethpage.
Matt Fitzpatrick
Ryder Cup appearances: 3 appearances (2016, 2021, 2023)Particular person match report: 1 win, 7 defeats, 0 ties
Equally to Hovland, Fitzpatrick’s place regarded in critical doubt earlier on within the 12 months. An eighth-place end on the PGA Championship, nevertheless, kickstarted his marketing campaign.
Fitzpatrick has six top-10s in 11 tournaments since then, and it is that kind that places him in good stead for a fourth Ryder Cup look.
What would possibly give Donald hesitation, nevertheless, is the Englishman’s Ryder Cup outcomes to this point. Fitzpatrick has solely a single match win — with McIlroy in 4 balls two years in the past — and has by no means claimed a single level Stateside.
Harry Corridor
Ryder Cup appearances: 0 appearancesIndividual match report: N/A
What a 12 months or so it has been for Corridor. May or not it’s sufficient for a Ryder Cup debut?
Since a primary win on the PGA Tour final July, Corridor has established himself as an everyday contender, with 5 extra top-10s in 2025 and spectacular performances in each majors he certified for, at Quail Hole and Portrush.
His consistency earned him a spot within the Tour Championship, the place he positioned seventeenth. Meals for thought for Donald, actually.
Aaron Rai
Ryder Cup appearances: 0 appearancesIndividual match report: N/A
Not like Corridor, Rai has been monitoring towards a Ryder Cup bow for a while — although he could miss out on this event.
His kind since a primary PGA Tour title on the 2024 Wyndham Championship has been patchy (exterior of the majors the place he made the reduce 4 occasions in 2025), with solely two top-10s all 12 months.
For a possible rookie, he does convey a good quantity of Tour expertise, so that you by no means know.
Nicolai Højgaard
Ryder Cup appearances: 1 look (2023)Particular person match report: 0 wins, 2 defeats, 1 tie
Nicolai has been overshadowed by brother Rasmus since debuting at Marco Simone, and his disappointing season is more likely to imply he’s watching slightly than taking part in this time round.
Hojgaard has just one top-10 end within the States all 12 months, and his efficiency in 2023 — claiming solely half some extent — does not go in his favour, both.
Alex Noren
Ryder Cup appearances: 1 look (2018)Particular person match report: 2 wins, 1 defeat, 0 ties
Noren regarded nowhere close to Ryder Cup reckoning after getting back from harm with three missed cuts in seven tournaments, and a greatest end of seventeenth.
However the Norwegian — so spectacular on debut seven years in the past in France — has been in glowing kind for the reason that Scottish Open, with two top-10s earlier than successful the British Masters.
He is an outdoor shot, however Donald could also be tempted if current kind alone.
Marco Penge
Ryder Cup appearances: 0 appearancesIndividual match report: N/A
An in-form participant with immense energy, Penge has damaged by way of in 2025 — though largely on the DP World Tour.
Penge has two wins to his identify and likewise completed second on the Scottish Open, however his lack of expertise abroad could depend towards him. At worst, he is one to observe for the long run.
Matt Wallace
Ryder Cup appearances: 0 appearancesIndividual match report: N/A
Wallace completed twelfth within the European rankings, however since successful the European Masters a 12 months in the past, his performances have not actually been adequate to earn Donald’s name.
The Englishman missed the reduce six occasions on the PGA Tour this 12 months and has additionally struggled in his three DP World Tour appearances.
