With just one rookie in his 12-strong team, Luke Donald has plenty of Ryder Cup experience to call upon at Bethpage Black.
Here, we take a look at how each of the members of Team Europe have done in their previous Ryder Cup appearances.
ROME, ITALY – OCTOBER 01: Rory McIlroy of Team Europe celebrates winning his point on the 17th green during the Sunday singles matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club on October 01, 2023 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)Rory McIlroy
Overall: 16-13-4
Four-balls: 5-6-2
Foursomes: 7-5-1
Singles: 4-2-1
McIlroy has come a long way since he called the Ryder Cup an exhibition, not only speaking of his regret at those words but showing it inside the ropes in claiming 18 points thus far.
His tears after his singles victory in the team humbling of 2021 were followed by a career-best four-point performance in 2023 – he is his team’s on-course leader and talisman, having missed just one session since his debut 15 years ago.
Robert MacIntyre
Overall: 2-0-1
Four-balls: 1-0-1
Foursomes: 0-0-0
Singles: 1-0-0
The most successful rookie of the 2023 Ryder Cup Team, MacIntyre played in three matches and won 2.5 points at Marco Simone. While sitting out both foursomes sessions, MacIntyre partnered Justin Rose in both four-ball matches, tying the Friday afternoon session against Wyndham Clark and Max Homa, and defeating Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth 3&2 on Saturday afternoon.
During the singles matches, MacIntyre was 3UP early on Wyndham Clark before being brought back to all-square, but impressively fought back to win both the 15th and 16th holes, ending the match on 17 with a 2&1 victory and a full point for Team Europe.
Tommy Fleetwood
Overall: 7-3-2
Four-balls: 2-2-1
Foursomes: 4-0-0
Singles: 1-1-1
Fleetwood has become a pivotal member of Team Europe, which began with a headline-stealing debut as he and Francesco Molinari became the first European pairing in history to win all four of their matches in a Ryder Cup. That year he lost to Tony Finau in singles, but still cemented himself in the record books. Whistling Straits was evidently tougher for Europe and that was true too for Fleetwood, who partnered with Viktor Hovland for one draw and one loss in four-balls, and tied with Jordan Spieth in the singles.
At Marco Simone, Fleetwood partnered with McIlroy in both foursomes sessions with great success, earning two points with 2&1 victories over Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay on Friday, and Thomas and Spieth on Saturday. He and Nicolai Højgaard lost their four-balls match on Saturday afternoon, but Fleetwood rallied for his first full singles point in a Ryder Cup with a 3&1 victory over Rickie Fowler, the point which guaranteed victory for his side.
Justin Rose
Overall: 14-9-3
Four-balls: 5-4-1
Foursomes: 7-2-1
Singles: 2-3-1
Over his first five Ryder Cups, Rose became part of two consistent partnerships first alongside Ian Poulter and then Henrik Stenson before teaming up with Robert MacIntyre in 2023.
He has an impressive foursomes record of 7-2-1, with alternate shot bringing almost half of his 15½ points, a career total that means he averages over two and a half points per Ryder Cup appearance.
FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 22: Justin Rose of Team Europe putts on the practice putting green prior to the Ryder Cup 2025 at Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course on September 22, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)Rasmus Højgaard
Rookie
Rasmus Højgaard will make his Ryder Cup debut at Bethpage, emulating twin brother Nicolai who was a rookie in 2023, after finishing fifth in the European Team Rankings to secure automatic qualification.
He may be new to playing in the Ryder Cup but he was around the team in Rome and with five DP World Tour wins – three of them coming via play-off – he is no stranger to pressure on the big stage.
Tyrrell Hatton
Overall: 5-4-2
Four-balls: 2-1-2
Foursomes: 2-1-0
Singles: 1-2-0
A rookie at Le Golf National in 2018, Hatton sealed his first Ryder Cup point alongside Paul Casey in four-balls, before teaming up with Shane Lowry to earn a full point in the same format at Whistling Straits in 2021.
But it was in 2023, that he made his biggest mark on the Ryder Cup stage as he was one of just three players, along with Jon Rahm and MacIntyre, to go undefeated in Rome.
Shane Lowry
Overall: 2-3-1
Four-balls: 1-1-0
Foursomes: 1-1-0
Singles: 0-1-1
His Ryder Cup debut was a chastening one for Europe in the record defeat at Whistling Straits but Lowry produced one of the highlights of the week as he and Hatton beat Finau and Harris English 1 Up in Saturday’s four-balls session.
In 2023 he formed a partnership with Sepp Straka, winning in the first session whitewash and losing on day two before halving his singles match with Spieth after the Cup was well won.
Jon Rahm
Overall: 6-3-3
Four-balls: 1-2-2
Foursomes: 4-0-0
Singles: 1-1-1
Rahm first played in the Ryder Cup as part of Thomas Bjørn’s winning side at Le Golf National in 2018, registering one point from his three matches as he defeated Tiger Woods in the Sunday Singles.
By the time his second appearance came around in 2021 at Whistling Straits, he was a Major champion after winning the U.S. Open earlier that year and he went on to be the top points scorer for Europe in a losing cause with defeat to Scottie Scheffler in the singles his only defeat. He was undefeated two years ago in Italy, forging a formidable foursomes partnership with Hatton as the pair won both their matches, either side of a half point alongside rookie Nicolai Højgaard in Friday’s four-balls and a half point in a high-quality encounter with Scheffler.
ROME, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 30: Jon Rahm of Team Europe celebrates holing a putt to win the 11th hole during the Saturday morning foursomes matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club on September 30, 2023 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
ROME, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 30: Jon Rahm of Team Europe celebrates holing a putt to win the 11th hole during the Saturday morning foursomes matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club on September 30, 2023 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)Sepp Straka
Overall: 1-2-0
Four-balls: 0-0-0
Foursomes: 1-1-0
Singles: 0-1-0
Was picked to play in the opening session on his Ryder Cup debut and defeated Fowler and Collin Morikawa 2&1 in foursomes alongside Lowry before the duo fell to Homa and Brian Harman on day two.
He suffered a 2 Up defeat to Thomas in the singles as the United States won four consecutive points to get it from 14-7 to 14-11 but moments later, he was a Ryder Cup winner.
Viktor Hovland
Overall: 3-4-3
Four-balls: 0-2-2
Foursomes: 2-2-0
Singles: 1-0-1
Hovland will now be making his second appearance in an away Ryder Cup following his debut as a Rookie at Whistling Straits in 2021, where he returned with a record of 0-3-1. Hovland played in all five sessions that year but, as part of a disappointing outing for Team Europe, his only points came from a tied four-ball match with Feetwood against Patrick Cantlay and Thomas on Friday afternoon, and a tie in his singles match against Morikawa.
Things were very different in 2023. One half of a record-breaking pairing, Hovland was part of history at Marco Simone alongside Ludvig Åberg. After earning their first foursomes point against Harman and Homa 4&3 on Friday morning, the pair went on to defeat Scheffler and Brooks Koepka 9&7, marking the largest margin of victory in a foursomes match in the Ryder Cup. The duo did lose their Saturday afternoon four-ball match 4&3 against Morikawa and Sam Burns, but Hovland had already teamed up with Hatton for a half in their four-balls match the previous afternoon against Thomas and Spieth to add another half point to the European tally. For the second contest in a row Hovland faced Morikawa in Singles, this time walking away the victor with a 4&3 win, and an impressive 3-1-1 record.
Ludvig Åberg
Overall: 2-2-0
Four-balls: 0-1-0
Foursomes: 2-0-0
Singles: 0-1-0
Åberg memorably made history as the first player to play at a Ryder Cup before making an appearance in a Major Championship in 2023, having been selected the day after winning his maiden DP World Tour title at the 2023 Omega European Masters.
The other half of the record-breaking Scandinavian partnership, Åberg proved Donald’s choice was a worthy one. Playing in four matches, he earned two points from three alongside Hovland – which of course includes that history-making 9&7 foursomes victory – before losing his singles match 3&2 to Koepka.
Matt Fitzpatrick
Overall: 1-7-0
Four-balls: 1-1-0
Foursomes: 0-3-0
Singles: 0-3-0
At 22, the Englishman was the youngest of member of both sides when he made his Ryder Cup debut at Hazeltine in 2016.
Limited to foursomes and singles appearances across his first two appearances – both of which came on the road after also contesting the 2021 edition at Whistling Straits – he created some happy memories in 2023 as he teamed up with McIlroy to land his first Ryder Cup point in the four-balls on the opening day at Marco Simone.
Wow, reading about all these European legends is inspiring! Its fascinating to see how the likes of Rose, Fleetwood, and Rahm have accumulated so many points – Rose averages over two and a half points per appearance, talk about a stable hand! And Jon Rahm, going undefeated in Italy, what a machine! Even the rookies like Højgaard and Åberg are hitting the ground running, emulating their elders. Its clear Team Europe has depth and experience, though matching that US dominance at Whistling Straits sounds like a Herculean task! Almost makes you want to pick up a club… almost. 😉