The Ryder Cup ensures there is always a simmering, though usually friendly, rivalry between golfers from the USA and Europe. The divisions caused by LIV may have blurred those traditional boundaries, perhaps uniting players on both sides of the argument, irrespective of where they come from.
However, there is no doubt that for golfers on the PGA Tour, especially in a Ryder Cup year, there will always be a little bit of extra unity between European players. Golf is primarily an individual sport, and whilst any tournament win on tour will be a triumph for that player, there is certainly a sense that when a European golfer lifts a title, they are doing so at least in part for all of the continent.
The 2025 Ryder Cup will take place on American soil between the 26th and 28th of September. Bethpage Black will be doing the honours and the New York venue is sure to be hostile to the visiting team. However, as we draw closer and closer to the high-octane contest, there is increasingly a feeling that Team Europe can overcome the home crowd to claim a first away win by either side since they won 14.5-13.5, thanks to the “Miracle of Medinah”, back in 2012.
Such optimism is based on the brilliant performance of Europe at Marco Simone in 2023, as well as the excellent captaincy of Luke Donald, who was brilliant then and can be expected to be an even better leader two years on. It is also down to the current world rankings, which look pretty good from a European perspective.
The US just about always has by far the better players at the Ryder Cup, based on the official rankings. But for the 2025 tournament Europe could well field the strongest team they have ever had, at least in terms of rankings. Following Viktor Hovland’s win at the Valspar Championship on the 23rd of March (of which more shortly), the Norwegian moved up to number eight in the world.
That means that Europe boasts four of the top 10 golfers in the world right now and eight in the top 18. Those rankings reflect the brilliant form that many of Donald’s potential team have been in of late and in particular the big wins they have been claiming.
Where are the Americans?
There have been 13 events completed on the PGA Tour this year and American golfers have won just four of those, despite dominating the fields in terms of quantity. The season began with The Sentry being won by Hideki Matsuyama of Japan. An American golfer did not win until the fourth tournament of the campaign and even he was English – Harris English!
| Tournament | Winner | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| The Sentry | Hideki Matsuyama | Japanese |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Nick Taylor | Canadian |
| The American Express | Sepp Straka | Austrian |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Harris English | American |
| AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | Rory McIlroy | Northern Irish |
| WM Phoenix Open | Thomas Detry | Belgian |
| The Genesis Invitational | Ludvig Åberg | Swedish |
| Mexico Open | Brian Campbell | American |
| Cognizant Classic | Joe Highsmith | American |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Russell Henley | American |
| Puerto Rico Open | Karl Vilips | Australian |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Rory McIlroy | Northern Irish |
| Valspar Championship | Viktor Hovland | Norwegian |
We have seen a host of European champions, as well as winners from Canada and Australia, in addition to Matsuyama’s win. In what has been a record start for players from Europe, they have won six of the 13 events to date. That is just under half, and 50% more than the home team has managed. Team Europe skipper Donald must be loving every second of it!
American Express: Sepp Straka, Austria, Current Rank 13
At the age of 31, Straka claimed his third PGA Tour win and looks certain to make the Ryder Cup team in September having made his tournament debut in 2023. Straka won The Honda Classic in 2022 and the John Deere Classic in July 2023, that latter win essentially booking his spot in the Ryder Cup dozen.
His win this year came in mid-January when he shot -25 to beat Justin Thomas by two shots. His opening three rounds were 65-64-64 before he took it easy on Sunday with a steady 70 to get the job done.
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland, Current Rank 2
McIlroy is no stranger to the winner’s enclosure and his year began very well when he won at Pebble Beach at the start of February. His 21-under score was enough to see off compatriot Shane Lowry and was his 27th win on the tour and 42nd in professional golf.
Phoenix Open: Thomas Detry, Belgium, Current Rank 26
Belgian Detry won the week after Rory at the always-raucous Phoenix Open. It was his first PGA Tour success and only his third tournament win in total. He made it look all too easy too, shooting, 66-64-65-65 to romp home by a massive seven shots with a 24-under aggregate of 260.
Genesis Invitational: Ludvig Aberg, Sweden, Current Rank 5
Aberg is a prodigious talent who has what it takes to be the world number one. Still just 25 years old he was a surprise pick for the last Ryder Cup but fully justified selection by picking up two points. The tall, powerful Swede looks set to be a Ryder Cup fixture for years and won his first PGA title in 2023, shooting -29 at the RSM Classic.
He was second on his US Masters debut and 2025 could be the year he lands his first major. His victory at the Genesis in February saw him open with a 74 but close with a fine 66 to win by a single stroke.
Players Championship: Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland, Current Rank 2
Rory features again, having won his second Players via a Monday play-off, having first won at TPC Sawgrass in 2019. He came from four back in the final round and then easily saw off J.J. Spaun in the shootout. He is Europe’s talisman and should he finally win the Masters, just about all of golf will be happy for him.
Valspar Championship: Viktor Hovland, Norway, Current Rank 8
Hovland is the most recent European winner on the tour, backing up Rory’s win with a fine victory at the Copperhead Course. He finished with a round of 67 to see off Justin Thomas, whose score of 10 under was one shot short of Hovland’s mark. The Norwegian is another who is surely set to end his wait for a major sooner rather than later.
And One European Ace Who Can’t Get Over the Line
Europe have at least one very good player who is yet to win on the PGA Tour. Southport golfer Tommy Fleetwood was in the news recently for reasons both good and bad at the same time. He became the first player in history to win $25m in prize money on the PGA Tour without ever winning a tournament.
Fleetwood’s time will surely come, and we hope and believe he has a major in him too. But for now, he hasn’t quite been able to claim a tournament victory on the PGA Tour. He has 10 pro wins in total, including seven on the European Tour, as well as two runner-up finishes in majors and a total of seven top-fives in the big four events. Oh, and $25m in the bank.