Team Europe Picks By The Numbers
After a season chasing the 2025 Ryder Cup rankings, Captain Luke Donald has finalised his team with six picks.
Donald and his team have been poring over the data, based mainly on stroke play, to try and find out who is on form, who can play with whom and who will suit the course.
However, using ratings from Match Play World Golf Rankings we can compare players on how many points they win per game, where anything over 0.500 is good, 0.550 very good and over 0.600 exceptional.
At the end of the qualifying period the six automatic qualifiers are:
1. Rory McIlory (0.641 Points Per Match)
2. Robert MacIntyre (0.577)
3. Tommy Fleetwood (0.606)
4. Justin Rose (0.547)
5. Rasmus Højgaard (0.125)
6. Tyrrell Hatton (0.594)
Europe Ryder Cup Picks
Here the six players that Captain Luke Donald has selected for Europe in 2025 shown by their finishing position in the Ryder Cup points list:
#7 Shane Lowry
Ryder Cup 0.417, Career 0.349 Points Per Match
Lowry winning just a third of his games across all match play events is not something you would associate with the former Open Champion. His record in two Ryder Cups is not much better and is yet to win a singles. A streaky and passionate competitor, Lowry’s team record with Rory in New Orleans and Italian car parks may count in his favour.
#8 Sepp Straka
Ryder Cup 0.333 Career 0.385 Points Per Match
Straka’s overall match play record of 0.385 from 13 games is nothing to write home about. However he has won twice on the PGA Tour this year so maybe that record would improve if picked. His foursome and four-ball records are decent, but he has a poor singles records across all match play events.
#9 Ludvig Åberg
Ryder Cup 0.500, Career 0.500 Points Per Match
The golden boy of European golf who made a great impact on his Ryder Cup debut in 2023 shortly after turning pro. Has a positive record for one event, but so far in 2025 has yet to catch fire. Class is permanent and with one eye on the future Luke has placed his faith in him again.
#10 Victor Hovland
Ryder Cup 0.450, Career 0.447 Points Per Match
Not an amazing record, but having a decent year and with 10 Ryder Cup games under his belt he is back in form at the right time. The memory of Hovland & Åberg thrashing Scheffler & Koepka 9&7 in Italy may count in his favour, so expect the Scandinavian pair to reunite in New York.
#11 Matt Fitzpatrick
Ryder Cup 0.125, Career 0.413 Points Per Match
Major champion, three Ryder Cups and in form in 2025, so surely an obvious pick? However, he has yet to win a Ryder Cup foursomes or singles and only 11 wins from 28 singles matches across all events, which is not what you might expect from a former US Amateur champion. Crucially Fitzpatrick has the Ryder Cup & major winning experience of playing in the USA and is on form this year too.
#23 Jon Rahm
Ryder Cup 0.625, Career 0.622 Points Per Match
An almost certain pick, the double major champion and 2025 LIV #1 is the modern Spanish heartbeat of the team. Rahm has a fantastic record, being undefeated in foursomes and 0.607 in all singles matches. Maybe a partner for the next guy too…
Staying At Home
As always there are players who miss out and sometimes the Captain’s Picks can be defining depending on whether the team wins or loses. Here were our predictions and Luke Donald has gone with the probables over the numbers.
Probable Picks: Rahm, Lowry, Straka, Åberg, Hovland, Fitzpatrick
By The Numbers Picks: Rahm, Straka, Åberg, Hovland, Detry, Garcia
#12 Matt Wallace
Ryder Cup NA, Career 0.464 Points Per Match
A good record in foursomes with Justin Rose at the Team Cup, he has team match play experience from 14 games. Is a confident character who should not be fazed by the partisan crowd. Finished above Detry and Rai in the final Ryder Cup rankings.
#13 Thomas Detry
Ryder Cup NA, Career 0.500 Points Per Match
Another major contender for a rookie pick and Belgians have done well for Team Europe. Won on the PGA Tour in 2025 and regularly a contender since. Has only played professional match play in the Team Cup where he won half his games.
#15 Aaron Rai
Ryder Cup NA, Career 0.625 Points Per Match
This determined English golfer has steadily worked his way up the ladder of professional golf. With wins on the PGA Tour and a Rolex event on the DP World Tour, combined with a winning record in the Team Cup on debut.
#17 Harry Hall
Ryder Cup NA, Career NA Points Per Match
Despite a strong finish to the FedEx Cup this year, it may be too little, too late for Hall this time around. Both his PGA Tour and DP World Tour wins came last year and with no professional match play experience it is hard to see Donald taking a punt on a rookie for this away match.
Alex Norén
Ryder Cup 0.667, Career 0.594 Points Per Match
Ryder Cup 0.667, Career 0.594 Points Per Match
Norén was out for 6 months with an injury and did therefore not enter the rankings and also a lot of peoples’ minds. Won on his only Ryder Cup appearance and has an excellent overall match play record from 45 games. Finished strong in the last qualifying event, but too late to get a pick, although he will be there as a vice-captain after his win in the BMW PGA Championship.
#140 Sergio Garcia
Ryder Cup 0.633, Career 0.585 Points Per Match
Leading points scorer in the Ryder Cup, bleeds blue for Europe and having a good year with a win on LIV Golf in 2025. He definitely has the experience and is the Captain’s favourite partner. Phenomenal record in four-ball and foursomes of 0.688 from 35 games.
