Ryder Cup capsules: Meet the European team

The lowdown: The Northern Irishman is the highest-ranked player on the European team (ranked No. 2 in the world) and won the Scottish Open on Tour last season, along with a win in Dubai on the DP World Tour. Making his seventh Ryder Cup appearance, McIlroy heads to Rome having just broken the Tour record for average driving distance in a season at 326.3 yards.

Jon Rahm

The lowdown: The Spaniard sits one spot below McIlroy in the world rankings after a year in which he won four times on Tour, including the Masters for his second major triumph. He also finished T-2 at The Open and was third on Tour in scoring average (69.03).

Viktor Hovland

The lowdown: The Norwegian comes to Marco Simone as one of the world’s hottest players. After winning the Memorial in June, he claimed the BMW Championship last month with a course-record 61 in the final round en route to winning the FedExCup title. Early in his career, he was one of the worst short games players on Tour; however, he finished this past season inside the top 100 on Tour in Strokes Gained: Around the Greens, and his improvement has translated into a lethal skill set.

Matthew Fitzpatrick

The lowdown: The Englishman followed up a 2022 season in which he won the U.S. Open by emerging victorious at the RBC Heritage and making the Tour Championship. He also finished 25th on Tour in Strokes Gained: Around the Green, 19th in SG: Total and 13th in SG: Putting en route to notching his third straight Ryder Cup berth.

Tyrrell Hatton

The lowdown: Though the Englishman didn’t claim his first win on Tour since 2020, he had an impressive campaign that included seven top-10s, including a runner-up at The Players Championship, and one missed cut in 21 starts. Plus, he was top 10 on Tour in SG: Putting and Total.

Tommy Fleetwood

The lowdown: If Nick Taylor didn’t make a 72-foot eagle putt on the fourth playoff hole of the RBC Canadian Open, Fleetwood might have walked away with his maiden Tour win. However, despite the excruciating playoff defeat, Fleetwood had a torrid summer where he posted six top-10s in his final eight starts of the season, making him an easy choice for Luke Donald to select him as captain’s pick.

Sepp Straka

The lowdown: With a chance at the 13th sub-60 round in Tour history, Straka rinsed his approach shot on the 72nd hole — but still left the John Deere Classic with a noble consolation prize: his second Tour win. He followed that up with a T-2 at The Open, his second runner-up of the season and one of two top-10s in a major this year (T-7 at the PGA Championship).

Justin Rose

The lowdown: At the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the 2013 U.S. Open champion ended a four-year winless drought on Tour — and that helped him back onto the European Ryder Cup after an absence in 2021. When he last teed it up for the Europeans in 2018, he had just won the FedExCup as the world No. 1. Five years later, his form might not be as dominant, but he’s still a top 50 player and will be a valued voice in the team room while playing his sixth Ryder Cup.

Shane Lowry

The lowdown: During his first Ryder Cup in 2021, the Irishman was the animated spirit of the European squad. And his personality will again be on display in the biennial matches, but this time, with the home crowd behind him. His play, though, took a dip this year, as the 2019 Open champion failed to make the FedExCup playoffs for the first time since 2018. But considering his bold personality, it would have been hard for Donald to leave Lowry off the team.

Robert MacIntyre

The lowdown: The Scot said he had one goal this year — to make his first Ryder Cup team. And after nabbing the final automatic qualifying spot, that goal is fulfilled. MacIntyre nearly won his home event — the Scottish Open — with a final-round 64. McIlroy, however, overtook MacIntyre by a stroke with a birdie-birdie finish. But now, he and McIlroy are Ryder Cup teammates on a course (Marco Simone) where MacIntyre won the 2022 Italian Open in a playoff against Fitzpatrick.

Nicolai Hojgaard

The lowdown: The 2021 Italian Open winner at Marco Simone was once considered one of the future stalwarts of the European Ryder Cup team — and now his time has come. He finished runner-up at the Corales Puntacana Championship and then notched Special Temporary Status a week later at the Valero Texas Open. He also had seven top-10s on the DP World Tour en route to joining Donald’s squad.

Ludvig Aberg

The lowdown: Last but not least. After being the nation’s top collegiate player at Texas Tech, the Swede turned pro in June and wasted no time showcasing his talent with four top-25s, including a T-4 at the John Deere Classic. He was on the brink of a Ryder Cup nod, but he made Donald’s decision much easier when he won the DP World Tour’s European Masters by reeling off four straight birdies on the back nine. Now, Aberg will be the first player ever to tee it up in a Ryder Cup before playing in his first major championship.