After a record mauling at the 2021 Ryder Cup in America, Team Europe came roaring back to win the 2023 edition in Italy with ease. On the 1st of October, they completed a 16.5-11.5 win over the US side at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club near Rome and thus maintained their incredible home record.
There was much talk of the youngsters on the European team, with Ludvig Aberg shining on his debut, whilst Bob MacIntyre took an impressive 2.5 points from three matches. But it was Europe’s talisman who was their leading points scorer, Rory McIlroy winning four out of five matches. McIlroy was appearing in his seventh Ryder Cup and those four points moved him eighth on the all-time list of Europe’s top scorers. But who are the best European golfers in the history of the Ryder Cup? Let’s take a look at the Super Seven who, for now at least, have got more than McIlroy’s total of 18 Ryder Cup points.
| Player | Points | Apperances | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sergio Garcia | 28.5 | 10 | 2.85 |
| Nick Faldo | 25 | 11 | 2.27 |
| Bernhard Langer | 24 | 10 | 2.4 |
| Lee Westwood | 24 | 11 | 2.18 |
| Colin Montgomerie | 23.5 | 8 | 2.94 |
| Seve Ballesteros | 22.5 | 8 | 2.81 |
| Jose Maria Olazabal | 20.5 | 7 | 2.93 |
7) Jose Maria Olazabal – 20.5 Points from 7 Ryder Cups
Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal can make a very serious claim to be Europe’s top Ryder Cup golfer. This is because no European with 11 points or more can better his 66.13% points percentage. All those above him in terms of points played in more matches and more Ryder Cups. In fact only one man with more than eight points has a better percentage than Olazabal. That man? 2023 skipper, Luke Donald, who won four out of four Ryder Cups as a player, garnering 10.5 points from 15 matches (70%).
Ollie won the US Masters twice but his performances at the Ryder Cup are perhaps what he is best known for. His partnership with Seve recorded 12 points from 15 matches, an incredible record given the next-best duos (Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson, and Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood) managed six from eight. Olazabal also invoked the spirit of his great friend, compatriot and teammate to help inspire the Miracle of Medinah as captain in 2012.
6) Seve Ballesteros – 22.5 Points from 8 Ryder Cups
Seve only needs one name and even now is the inspiration for the European team. A brilliant, charismatic legend who died too soon, the Spaniard was a phenomenal match play golfer. He won the World Match Play five times and also landed five majors, but like Olazabal, his link to this competition was something else. A true legend.
5) Colin Montgomerie – 23.5 Points from 8 Ryder Cups
Montgomerie comes close to matching Olazabal in terms of win percentage, taking more than 65% of the points available to him over his eight Ryder Cups. The golfers we have looked at so far thrived in the team atmosphere and so did this dour Yorkshire-Scot, although his singular nature couldn’t be escaped. He truly loved the comradery of this competition but he led from the front, boasting the best singles record of any player from either side, going undefeated and winning seven out of eight points. Monty the skipper was just as good too, helping Europe to victory at the 2010 Ryder Cup and despite never claiming a major title, his place in the golfing record books is secure.
4) Lee Westwood – 24 Points from 11 Ryder Cups
If we were being petty, which was tempting, we would discount LIV golfer Westwood from this list. His points percentage is the lowest (by some way) in the top eight, but there is no getting away from his contribution to the European cause over the years. Westwood played in 11 Ryder Cups, with no European having played more, and he holds the record for the most matches (47) outright. He seems unlikely to play any further part in the competition but with time a great healer, a return as captain cannot be wholly ruled out.
3) Bernhard Langer – 24 Points from 10 Ryder Cups
German Bernhard Langer was part of the European team that wrested supremacy away from the USA. He first played in 1981 when the US won 18.5-9.5 but two years later he won four out of five points as his team came within a point of victory away from home. In 1985 he won three points as Europe finally triumphed and he would be part of the competition furniture until 2002. His agonising missed putt at Kiawah Island in 1991 may still haunt him but he made amends when he was a superb skipper in 2004. Europe won that contest by a record nine points, a staggering margin on foreign soil, and he was widely praised for his organisation and thorough approach.
2) Nick Faldo – 25 Points from 11 Ryder Cups
Faldo is tied with Westwood on 11 Ryder Cup appearances and played one fewer match. He played in the contest over a 20+ year period and brought home more than 54% of the points available to him. He is also the second-youngest European to play in the Ryder Cup and was just over 20 years old when he made his debut in 1977, when this was still a US v GB & Ireland event. Incredibly, on debut, he won three out of three points and was his team’s top scorer, repeating the feat in 1983 (jointly with Langer). He won six majors but there is a feeling his individual nature was not entirely suited to this team event, something possibly backed up by his performance as captain in the 2008 defeat in the US.
1) Sergio Garcia – 28.5 Points from 10 Ryder Cups
Sergio won 63.33% of the points he competed for and is Europe’s youngest performer in this competition, appearing at the age of 19 in 1999. Like Westwood, Ian Poulter and others, his defection to LIV has rather sullied his reputation but he is probably the greatest pairs golfer the Ryder Cup has ever seen. 24 of his points came with a partner and he was particularly formidable with Westwood, taking five from seven points. He finally won a major in 2017 at the Masters but will probably remember the Ryder Cup as providing some of his best days on a golf course.