One of the most highly anticipated weeks of the golfing year is here.
The Ryder Cup begins at Marco Simone in Italy on Friday afternoon (AEST). The teams are finalised with a handful of surprise selections and non-selections making headlines. Here are all the player details, including their record and form.
TEAM EUROPE
It's been 30 years since the Europeans tasted defeat on home soil. Captain Luke Donald has assembled a well-balanced side to try to win back the famous trophy they lost at Whistling Straits, with blockbuster names such as McIlroy, Rahm and Hovland to accompany some exciting rookies in the likes of Aberg, Hojgaard and Straka who will all be gunning to keep Europe's 30-year record intact.
RORY MCILROY
Age: 34
Country: Northern Ireland
Ryder Cup Record: (W)12-(L)12-(H)4 (six appearances 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021)
Professional Wins: 37
World Ranking: 2
Rory's form is always rock solid; you won't have to scroll further down than 10th on most leaderboards to find his name. The four-time major champion will be just as much of a leader as Donald in the European locker room, looking to set the standard for his less experienced teammates. Heading into the 2023 Ryder Cup, Rory will look to improve on his recent form in the biennial event, having lost seven of his last ten matches. A class-act and, generational talent and a Ryder Cup captain in waiting, there won't be many Americans who will want to face Rory.
JON RAHM
Age: 28
Country: Spain
Ryder Cup Record: 4-3-1 (two appearances, 2018, 2021)
Professional Wins: 20
World Ranking: 3
The current Masters champion boasts an impressive resume. Rahm has found himself on both sides of the ledger regarding the Ryder Cup. A noted winner and passionate about the representing Europe, Rahm's all-round game is sublime. He was Europe's top points scorer at Whistling Straits, collecting 3.5 points. The Spaniard also showed no occasion was too big when he defeated Tiger Woods in singles on his Cup debut in 2018. A double major champion with four PGA Tour wins next to his name this year alone, one of the best players on the planet, Rahm, will take some stopping at Marco Simone.
ROBERT MACINTYRE
Age: 27
Country: Scotland
Ryder Cup Record: Debut
Professional Wins: Three
World Ranking: 55
MacIntyre knows his way around Marco Simone better than most; the Scotsman sensationally held off teammate Matt Fitzpatrick in a play-off at the 2022 Italian Open for his second DP World Tour victory. He is the first Scotsman to feature at the Cup since Stephen Gallacher in 2014. MacIntyre's record on the course this season has been average, but he showed he could rise to an occasion when falling just short of his home Open due to some Rory brilliance earlier this year. The Scot plays with plenty of passion, which tends to be a good recipe in Ryder Cups.
VIKTOR HOVLAND
Age: 26
Country: Norway
Ryder Cup Record: 0-3-2 (one appearance, 2021)
Professional Wins: 10
World Ranking: 4
Nobody in the game has had a better past four months than Hovland. The FedExCup champion's Ryder Cup record leaves much to be desired, but the Norwegian is a far more complete player in 2023 and will have taken a lot out of his maiden Ryder Cup experience at Whistling Straits. Historically, the short game has been where Hovland critics have come to the forefront. But he has been fantastic on the greens the last two seasons and scrambled dramatically better in 2023 than in other years. A premier ball-striker and the hottest property in men's golf, there is no doubt Hovland's Ryder Cup record will look better than it does now at the end of the week.
TYRELL HATTON
Age: 31
Country: England
Ryder Cup Record: 2-4-1 (two appearances, 2018, 2021)
Professional Wins: 10
World Ranking: 11
Hatton's winning Ryder Cup points have come in the Saturday four-ball sessions. The 31-year-old has experienced two Ryder Cups now – a win and a loss – so he will be another European player looking to improve his personal record. The Englishman is a phenomenal putter – ranked seventh on the PGA Tour – and scrambles his backside off, which can prove pivotal in match play.
MATT FITZPATRICK
Age: 29
Country: England
Ryder Cup Record: 0-5-0 (two appearances, 2016, 2021)
Professional Wins: Nine
World Ranking: 8
In his two trips to the Ryder Cup, Fitzpatrick has yet to register a point. Since he last ventured to the biennial fixture, he has claimed a major title – the 2022 U.S Open – and has mustered another big win in 2023 at the RBC Heritage, defeating Jordan Speith in a play-off. So, the Englishman's resume has improved drastically since his last trip to the Cup, and frankly, his game is lightyears better, too. Another Brit who rolls his rock phenomenally, ranked third on the PGA Tour in total putting and, averages over 300 yards off the tee, so he knows how to get it out there. The man from Sheffield will be determined to improve his record, and at a course he knows well, it's hard to see him stay sitting on a duck.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD
Age: 32
Country: England
Ryder Cup Record: 4-2-2 (two appearances, 2018, 2021)
Professional Wins: Nine
World Ranking: 13
Who could forget the absolute clinic Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari displayed at the last time the Ryder Cup was in continental Europe in 2018, winning all four points when the "Moliwood" duo teed it up together. Fleetwood has a good record in the contest but found it tough on U.S soil last time out. A noted ball-striker ranked fifth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained total. Fleetwood hits it straight and will be a severe weapon in Luke Donald's arsenal if he can get hot on the greens.
SEPP STRAKA
Age: 30
Country: Austria
Ryder Cup Record: Debut
Professional Wins: Three
World Ranking: 22
The Austrian debutant knows how to score; he will make plenty of birdies around the Italian loop. Straka is accurate off the tee, ranked 21st on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy, a crucial strength around Marco Simone where the rough will be a proper penalty. Straka has picked up a victory in his last two seasons on the PGA Tour. Just the second player from Austria to feature in the Ryder Cup after Bernd Wiesberger in 2021, he has had a good 2023; what better way to top it off than to try to hoist the Ryder Cup.
JUSTIN ROSE
Age: 43
Country: England
Ryder Cup Record: 13-8-2 (five appearances 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018)
Professional Wins: 25
World Ranking: 37
Coming into his sixth Cup, Rose has found some form in 2023. He broke through to win his first PGA Tour event since 2019 when he triumphed at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Rose is comfortably the oldest player on display from either side, but the recent work he has been doing with coach Mark Blackburn has seen the Englishman turn a corner, ranked 13th on tour this season in strokes gained total and second in sand saves. Rose has a good record at the Cup and vast experience in the big moments; he will be a man Donald will count on for points this week.
SHANE LOWRY
Age: 36
Country: Republic of Ireland
Ryder Cup Record: 1-2-0 (one appearance, 2021)
Professional Wins: Six
World Ranking: 34
There was some conjecture around the selection of Shane Lowry for this year's Cup. And for sure, by his own standards, the Irishman has had a quiet year. But there wasn't any doubt in Donald's mind that Lowry would be stamping his passport and on his way to Italy. Statistically, it has been an okay year for Lowry in most departments; he is 28th in strokes gained total and eighth in total driving on the PGA Tour. He has just had a below-par year on and around the greens – an area he has historically been phenomenal. A tie for 18th at Wentworth in his final event before Rome, his game looked in good shape and ready for another berth at Ryder Cup glory.
NICOLAI HOJGAARD
Age: 22
Country: Denmark
Ryder Cup Record: Debut
Professional Wins: Three
World Ranking: 82
The Danish debutant may not have his name in the winner's column this year, but he certainly has impressed this season. With three top-10s in his last five starts, Hojgaard has all the tools to be a successful Ryder Cup player. He is ranked 11th in driving distance, third in scoring average and 13th in greens in regulation on the DP World Tour. Being on debut at a young age and playing against some of the best players in the world is an intimidating prospect, but no doubt Donald will pair Hojgaard up with someone with plenty of experience to help him find his feet at this level.
LUDVIG ABERG
Age: 23
Country: Sweden
Ryder Cup Record: Debut
Professional Wins: One
World Ranking: 80
He hasn't been in the elite ranks for long, but he has turned a few heads since turning pro four months ago. Aberg has been super impressive in his short pro career and managed to pick up his first win right in the nick of time for a captain's pick when he won the Omega European Masters in Switzerland. Such a clean striker of the ball with any club in the bag, but it's Aberg's ice-cool attitude that is most impressive, the Swede just has the ability to stay in the moment and not get too emotionally high or low, watching him go about his work is like watching a surgeon complete a routine operation. Remember the name Ludvig Aberg because it may be his first appearance at the Ryder Cup, but it certainly won't be his last.
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