Ryder Cup 2025: Everything you need to know about Team Europe

Dave Tindall 22 Jul 2025

European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald was a particularly close observer of last week’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

With big points on offer in the race to qualify automatically, this was a great chance for Europe’s hopefuls to put themselves in a strong position to make the showdown with the United States at Bethpage Black in New York from September 26-28.

It was also an opportunity to impress for those perhaps needing to rely on a captain’s pick. Did they stand up to pressure? Donald will have been taking careful notes.

But how exactly do you get a spot on the European Ryder Cup team? In the past, European captains have had as little as two wildcards to play while until this Ryder Cup two points systems were used: the European and World points lists.

For 2025 at Bethpage, the process has changed again. Let’s explain.

How is the European Team selected?

In a new change this year, there is only one Ryder Cup Points List for the Europeans. The top six in these standings at the end of the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo on Sunday 24th August will qualify automatically. This is how points are/have been gained:

• Band 5 – Major Championships 5000 Points
• Band 4 – PGAT Signature events/The Players/FedExCup Playoffs events 3000 Points
• Band 3 – DPWT Rolex Series events and PGAT regular FedExCup events 2000 Points
• Band 2 – DPWT Back 9 events 1500 Points
• Band 1 – DPWT Global Series events and PGAT “opposite” Events 1000 Points

The second way to qualify is via a captain’s pick.

Luke Donald has six of these, offering a route in for LIV players such as Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton. LIV golfers don’t earn points on the breakaway tour so can only earn them in majors or if playing in a DP World Tour event.

Donald will choose these remaining six members in the week commencing Monday 1st September 2025.

How do the European Team standings look after the Open Championship

It wasn’t an amazing tournament for the Europeans as Americans claimed a 1-2-3.

Matt Fitzpatrick was the only European in the top six which boosted his chances of qualifying automatically.

He moved up nine slots but is still only in 13th place.

Here are the top six and those bubbling under

1/ Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) – 3440.78pts
2/ Robert MacIntyre (Scotland) – 1345.44pts
3/ Tommy Fleetwood (England) – 1314.61pts
4/ Tyrrell Hatton (England) – 1279.33pts
5/ Shane Lowry (Ireland) – 1234.11pts
6/ Sepp Straka (Austria) – 1226.83pts
——————————————
7/ Rasmus Hojgaard (Denmark) – 1135.11pts
8/ Justin Rose (England) – 1019.62pts
9/ Ludvig Aberg (Sweden) – 1006.83pts
10/ Viktor Hovland (Norway) – 930.31pts

As it stands, only McIlroy has mathematically qualified.

Who is Luke Donald likely to give his six wildcard picks to?

Without doubt, Donald would have wanted his big guns to have performed better in the Open Championship and got themselves into the automatic spots without relying on a wildcard.

If he’d had to issue six picks straight after Royal Portrush on Sunday night, Jon Rahm, Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland would surely have been pencilled in. Justin Rose, the Masters runner-up and a useful 16th in The Open, is another who would almost certainly get the nod.

But beyond that, he has options. One or both of the Hojgaard twins, Rasmus and Nicolai? Thomas Detry, a seven-shot winner on the PGA Tour (Phoenix Open) earlier this year? The back-to-form Fitzpatrick? Or, given that this is an away Ryder Cup, perhaps a PGA Tour regular? English trio Matt Wallace (12th in the current standings), Aaron Rai (16th) or Harry Hall (24th) would all be in the running on that basis.

What we do know is that the clock is ticking. As the Open trophy was handed to Scottie Scheffler in Northern Ireland, Donald knew the start of the Ryder Cup was only 67 days away.