With the halfway stage of the major season having been reached, the race to secure a place on the European Ryder Cup team at Bethpage is hotting up.
Luke Donald’s dozen will head to New York in September looking for a first win on American soil since 2012 and only a third away victory this century, having been so dominant in Rome in 2023.
Rory McIlroy took Masters glory after one of the most dramatic majors in recent years, as he survived a back-nine wobble to beat Justin Rose in a play-off and complete the career Grand Slam.
Having already claimed victories at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Players this year, it is no surprise that McIlroy is in a league of his own at the top of qualifying for the European Ryder Cup team.
McIlroy’s close friend Shane Lowry is second in the standings after a strong display at the Truist Championship, which was won by Sepp Straka to move him into the top five.
Jon Rahm is 24th in the standings, having missed out on the chance to make significant gains as he fell away in the closing stages of the PGA Championship. With no points on offer in LIV events, he is likely to have to rely on a captain’s pick.
Tommy Fleetwood is outside the top six as it stands, and the likes of Viktor Hovland, Matt Fitzpatrick and Robert MacIntyre also have ground to make up to guarantee their place on Team Europe.
How does qualifying for the Ryder Cup work?
There has been a significant change to the qualifying process for this year’s Ryder Cup.
This time there are not separate European and world points lists, but instead one set of rankings that awards points based on performances in the majors as well as PGA and DP World Tour events.
The top six in those standings on Sunday August 24, 2025 will automatically earn a place on the European team in New York.
Captain Luke Donald will then have six picks to make up his team of 12.
European team rankings
(Players in bold currently qualifying)
Position |
Player |
Points |
1 |
Rory McIlroy |
2981.70 |
2 |
Shane Lowry |
1124.18 |
3 |
Rasmus Hojgaard |
1034.03 |
4 |
Tyrrell Hatton |
1004.05 |
5 |
Sepp Straka |
942.73 |
6 |
Justin Rose |
870.04 |
7 |
Tommy Fleetwood |
844.83 |
8 |
Ludvig Aberg |
819.15 |
9 |
Thomas Detry |
650.29 |
10 |
Matt Wallace |
637.52 |
11 |
Niklas Norgaard |
607.93 |
12 |
Viktor Hovland |
541.06 |
