Golf
Ryder Cup 2025: Five Players To Watch For Team Europe
Steve Mullington looks at Team Europe ahead of this year’s Ryder Cup, with five standout players to follow throughout the tournament.
If Europe are to pull off a victory at Bethpage, then they will need a strong core group of around five players, who will be pushing for, and collecting points in nearly every single match they play in.
It’s pretty much a given, that captain Luke Donald will be heavily reliant upon McIlroy, Rahm and Fleetwood racking up the points for Europe, plus needing another couple of other mentally resilient heads to assist them.
Ryder Cup 2025 – Top European Points Scorer Odds
Punters can bet on the Team Europe top points scorer at the 2025 Ryder Cup with William Hill and here is the current state of the market:
- Rory McIlroy 4/1
- Jon Rahm 4/1
- Tommy Fleetwood 11/2
- Viktor Hovland 8/1
- Ludvig Aberg 8/1
- Tyrrell Hatton 9/1
- Matt Fitzpatrick 10/1
- Robert MacIntyre 14/1
- Shane Lowry 16/1
- Justin Rose 18/1
- Sepp Straka 25/1
- Rasmus Hojgaard 30/1
The rest of the European cohort will need to show their mettle, support their peers, and be prepared for a monumental battle on the fairways and greens.
Rory McIlroy – 7 appearances (Won 16, Lost 13, Halved 4)
McIlroy, along with Rose, will be seen as the elder statesmen of the European team and Donald’s initial selections will be based upon how he can get the maximum out of the Northern Irishman.
Sitting at No.8 in the all-time points scored for Europe, McIlroy will be a pivotal figure in whether Europe can snatch this away victory or not.
Jon Rahm – 3 appearances (Won 6, Lost 3, Halved 3)
Rahm was instrumental in the 4-and-3 destruction of Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns, in the first of the Friday foursomes in 2023, setting a precedent for the rest of the team to push on for the outright victory after that.
He’s currently teammates with Tyrrell Hatton on the LIV Tour, and that pairing is likely to be replicated in the Ryder Cup.
Tommy Fleetwood – 3 appearances (Won 7, Lost 3, Halved 2)
Fleetwood has become a pivotal member of the European squad, which began with a bang as he and Francesco Molinari became the first European pairing in history to win all four of their matches in a Ryder Cup.
After registering his first victory on the PGA Tour on his 164th attempt this season, Fleetwood is highly likely to be the most relaxed man on the team this year, which should lead to him amassing a panful of points again.
Justin Rose – 6 appearances (Won 14, Lost 9, Halved 3)
Making his seventh appearance across 17 years, Rose is seeking a fifth win as part of the European team.
Rose has an impressive foursomes record of 7-2-1, bringing about almost half of his 15½ points, a career total that means he averages over two and a half points per Ryder Cup appearance. An in-form Rose will be key to Europe’s chances of retaining the trophy.
Viktor Hovland – 2 appearances (Won 3, Lost 4, Halved 3)
The cool headed Scandinavian Viktor Hovland could well prove to be yet another talisman in the European side.
He’s highly likely to be paired with fellow Scandi – Ludvig Aberg, which is understandable given they won 4-and-3 and 9-and-7 in the foursomes last time.
Ryder Cup 2025 News & Tips:
- Everything you need to know ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup
- Past Ryder Cup winners
- Team USA favourites after Captain Picks
- Team Europe popular in Ryder Cup betting
- Greatest Ryder Cup moments
- Wayne ‘Radar’ Riley on the 2025 Ryder Cup
- Ryder Cup scoring system explained
- Players to watch for Team USA at the 2025 Ryder Cup
*Odds subject to change – prices accurate at the time of writing*
