World rankings and statistics correct to 23 August 2026
Europe already has a formidable core for the 2027 Ryder Cup, led by Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland. But with Justin Rose approaching 47, Shane Lowry turning 40 and a new generation emerging, Luke Donald could face some difficult selection decisions at Adare Manor. Here are the 30 players I think are currently in contention.
On 28 September 2025, Europe did something it had not done for thirteen years: it won the Ryder Cup on American soil.
After blowout away losses in 2016 (17-11) and 2021 (19-9) Europe did something unusual and brought a team to New York in 2025 that was visually indistinguishable from its winning 2023 team in Rome – switching one twin for the other.
No European team since continental Europe joined Great Britain and Ireland in 1979 has ever retained eleven players from the previous Ryder Cup – three changes had been the minimum.
The temptation for Luke Donald and the brains trust behind him must be obvious.
If it isn’t broke, why fix it?
Europe will arrive at Adare Manor outside Limerick in September 2027 with Luke Donald (four Ryder Cups as a player, four wins) aiming to be the first European to captain three Ryder Cup victories. Not bad for a man who probably would never have been captain had Henrik Stenson (five Ryder Cups, three wins), Lee Westwood (eleven Ryder Cups, seven wins), Ian Poulter (seven Ryder Cups, five wins) and Paul Casey (five Ryder Cups, three wins) not jumped on the LIV bandwagon.
As in 2023 and 2025, Donald should be able to rely on Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg and Tyrrell Hatton as seven of the best players in the world – more than half of his team. At least one of these seven players played in all of the fourball and foursome matches at the 2025 Ryder Cup – a core stronger than the one Gary Player will tell you that he has.
But, Ryder Cup teams cannot stand still indefinitely. Justin Rose will be 47 at the next Ryder Cup. Shane Lowry will be 40. Luke Donald himself admitted recently that he expects “new blood” in 2027.
Qualification for Adare Manor began at the British Masters. Six players will qualify automatically, before Donald chooses the other six himself.
Donald expects “new faces” – who could they be?
I have also ranked USA’s 30 contenders for the 2027 Ryder Cup in a separate analysis.
14 European nations have provided a European Ryder Cup player, could 2027 be the year a 15th nation arrives?
| Category | Players |
|---|---|
| Near-certainties | McIlroy, Rahm, Fleetwood, Fitzpatrick, Hovland, Åberg, Hatton, MacIntyre |
| Strong favourites | Rose, Genuine contenders Rai, Reitan, Lowry, Straka |
| Genuine contenders | Noren, Nicolai Højgaard, Penge, Rasmus Højgaard, Alex Fitzpatrick, Puig, Chacarra, Neergaard-Petersen |
| Outsiders | Hall, Smith, Detry, Wallace, Schmid |
| Youngsters worth watching | Ayora, McKibbin, Guillamoundeguy, Ballester |
The core
We can start with the easy bit. If they are healthy and playing anything resembling their present standard (and the standard they each have been keeping since before Luke Donald was a twinkle in Europe’s five man captaincy election committee’s eye) each of Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg, Tyrrell Hatton and Robert MacIntyre should all be at Adare Manor.
These eight plus Rose immediately give Donald three-quarters of his team, and a number of players who would be in contention to make an all-time European Ryder Cup team.
Rory McIlroy, with the highs of six majors and a grand slam behind him and the consistency of a major top 10 every year since 2009 probably just about scrapes into the team. The questions are how many more Ryder Cups he plays (I looked at how realistic that is here) — if he makes it to 2033, past his 44th birthday, it would be his 12th appearance and take him beyond Lee Westwood’s Team Europe record of eleven — and whether he can collect the 7.5 further points required to overtake Sergio García as Europe’s all-time leading points scorer. Whether he plays in 2027 is not really a question.
Jon Rahm, with his perfect 6-0-0 foursomes record and 9-5-3 overall record, faces a greater risk to his participation from golf politics than from golf itself. His very public falling out with the DP World Tour at the time of his move to LIV risks a Seve Ballesteros in 1981 moment, where the Spaniard did not play in the Ryder Cup due to not completing in the minimum number of European Tour events to be eligible. But, on the assumption that LIV pulls the plug on paying him the alleged nine figure sum they still owe him, he should be back (maybe more regularly than ever before) on the DP World Tour.
Tommy Fleetwood, another player with a perfect foursomes record and, among Europeans with substantial Ryder Cup careers, nobody has collected a higher proportion of the points available to them. He is playing as well today as he ever has before, so is another automatic pick.
Matt Fitzpatrick, now one of Europe’s best and most consistent golfers. With three PGA Tour wins in 2026 and second place in the regular season’s FedEx Cup standings his place in golf is as high as it has ever been. Contrary to Rahm and Fleetwood, his overall Ryder Cup record (mainly due to disastrous performances in 2016 and 2021) is poor (3-8-1) but he is a far better golfer now than he was then.
Viktor Hovland, Norway’s first (and only, for now at least) Ryder Cup player has not finished a year lower than 14 in the world rankings since his emergence in 2020. Heading into his late 20s with eight PGA Tour wins under his belt, he should be entering his prime and be looking forward to many more Ryder Cup appearances.
Ludvig Åberg, is a man who shot straight to the top. Luke Donald picked him for the 2023 Ryder Cup just a few months after he had turned professional and before he’d appeared in a major championship (he has since finished in the top 10 of a third of the majors he has played). Like Rahm and Fleetwood, he is developing a fearsome foursomes reputation, with a 3-1-0 record.
Tyrrell Hatton, his formidable partnership with Rahm has given him a 7-2-2 record in pairs matches. A fixture in the top 50 of the world rankings for ten years, his only concern has been his lack of competitive golf since he joined LIV (you should look up how utterly thrilled he was to win the team championship at the final LIV event in 2026).
Robert MacIntyre, has gone from strength to strength since his Ryder Cup debut in 2023. He has only lost one of his six Ryder Cup matches, and his solidified presence in the top 20 of the world rankings since 2024 has moved him from team youngster to an established player.
The evergreen exception
Justin Rose, the only rose in the world which is evergreen. His longevity is quite incredible. He is on course to record a 25th consecutive year ending inside the world’s top 100. His most recent major top 10 came just short of 28 years after his first (T4 as an amateur at the 1998 Open Championship). He would have been an obvious choice for the captaincy in 2027 had he not been playing so well (take note, Keegan Bradley) but must be given the chance to add to his 14-6-2 Ryder Cup pairs record. If he plays in 2027 he will become the second oldest European Ryder Cup player since 1979 (Westwood, 48 in 2021) and seventh oldest ever. Whatever the arguments are for refreshing the European team, there is little argument for replacing one of your best players simply because his birth certificate looks incorrect.
The 2025 players at risk
If eight members of the 2025 team (plus Rose) can be confident of their place in 2027 – what about the remaining three?
Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka and Rasmus Højgaard cannot rest on their laurels.
Shane Lowry faces perhaps the most emotionally difficult selection question. A Ryder Cup in the Republic of Ireland without a player from the Republic would feel peculiar, but Lowry cannot rely on a pick simply on the basis of nationality. Europe did okay in Wales in 2010, in France in 2018 and in Italy in 2023 without a ‘home’ player, after all. The 2019 Champion Golfer of the Year has been a fixture in the top 100 of the world rankings since 2012 and the European team of the 2020s but a middling Ryder Cup record of 3-3-3 and a downturn in form (if we aren’t giving Rai an automatic spot because he won the USPGA Championship, we cannot do so for Lowry after his Irish Open win) suggest it may be time to move on.
Shane Lowry will be 40 in 2027. Nick Faldo played his final Ryder Cup aged 40, José Maria Olazábal at age 40, Ian Woosnam at age 39, Pádraig Harrington at age 39 and Seve Ballesteros at age 38 – time waits for no man. Lowry’s golfing CV does not exceed that of any of these players, all multiple major winners (apart from Woosnam, but he spent nearly a year at world number one).
Simply put, so far in 2026 up to the Irish Open Kristoffer Reitan has made almost twice the number of world ranking points as Lowry. If Lowry and Reitan traded their 2026 results even after the Irish Open, Reitan would not be in the Ryder Cup team.
A similar story applies to only the second Austrian to play in the Ryder Cup, Sepp Straka. His 2026 form, and his overall Ryder Cup record during a very successful time for Europe, means he no longer demands selection. If the team were being picked today, he would be relying heavily on his reputation as a man who has played two Ryder Cups and won both. Dig a little deeper and his 2-4-0 individual record tells a less flattering story.
Rasmus Højgaard will only be 26 in 2027, but the most recent of his five DP World Tour wins came in 2024. Today he is at his lowest world ranking in two years but his form has picked up slightly recently with a T4 at the Rocket Classic and T2 at the Danish Golf Championship. He is not playing terribly; his previously steady upward trajectory has simply plateaued, while his twin Nicolai has moved past him again. There is nothing to say he won’t win three times on the DP World Tour next year, but if the Ryder Cup was in 2026 rather than 2027 Rasmus would not be in it.
2027 European Ryder Cup contenders
There are several frontline contenders lining up to press for (what we are calling) the remaining three spots – none of whose selection would come as a surprise.
The first man who has taken the biggest step in 2026 is Aaron Rai. The Englishman, who before this year had done no better than T19 in a major, won the 2026 PGA Championship. The victory, whilst not expected (it was no Ben Curtis or Shaun Micheel in 2003), was the culmination of three years of excellent golf – exemplified by Rai finishing 2024 at 22 in the world rankings and 2025 at 23.
However, winning a major does not guarantee a place at the next Ryder Cup. Ask Darren Clarke (2011 Open Championship winner, did not play in 2012), Sandy Lyle (1988 Masters winner, did not play in 1989) or John Daly (1991 PGA Championship winner and 1995 Open Championship winner, did not play in 1993 nor 1997).
Kristoffer Reitan has made a huge leap in the past two years – he ended 2023 at 1,031 in the world and 2024 at 425 in the world, a good 2025 saw him jump to 31. He earned his maiden PGA Tour win this year and has made the FedEx Cup play-offs; a 2027 that is similar to 2026 (showing prolonged form) would shoot him up the pecking order.
Nicolai Højgaard played in the 2023 Ryder Cup as a 22 year old. Like his twin, he had an amazing early rise with his third DP World Tour win in the DP World Tour Championship coming just after his Ryder Cup debut. He had slipped from his year end 2023 world ranking of 50 but some improved form on the PGA Tour (he qualified for the 2026 play-offs) has him back inside the top 50.
Alex Noren has had a late career renaissance which started with a strong 2025 and wins at the BMW PGA Championship and the British Masters. Other than during an injury hit 2014 season, he has been in the top 100 of the world rankings since 2010. His vice captaincy at the 2025 Ryder Cup may suggest his time has come and gone but that won’t stop him practicing – find a photo of the state of his hands, he looks like he’s been a carpenter for 50 years.
Marco Penge has enjoyed a swift ascent up the professional game. He jumped from a world ranking of 416 at the end of 2024 to 29 at the end of 2025. 2025 really was his breakthrough year, he won three times on the DP World Tour and if Rasmus Højgaard had not qualified automatically he would have been a serious rival for that final pick. Penge qualified for a PGA Tour card in 2026 but has struggled and is 112th in the FedEx Cup standings (to an extent we can put that down to his health struggles). He most definitely had a stronger case to make the 2025 Ryder Cup team at the time, than he does to make the 2027 team today. His one significant advantage is his length off the tee.
Alex Fitzpatrick (formerly known as Matt’s little brother) has seen his career take a huge jump after winning the Zurich Classic with big brother Matt in April 2026 (a few weeks after his maiden DP World Tour win). He has taken full advantage of the PGA Tour playing rights that win afforded him, with three top 10s and a leap into the world’s top 100. His brother is one of our certainties to make the team and their Zurich Classic triumph would suggest a compatible golfing partnership.
The outsiders
There are quite a few outsiders, speculative long shots and youngsters who have the potential to make a big step forward in 2027.
David Puig, Eugenio Chacarra, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and Matti Schmid all occupy a group of players in the 25-30 age bracket who could make a breakthrough in 2027.
David Puig’s membership of LIV rather than the DP World Tour makes it difficult to assess his current levels of development and his most recent starts on the main tours haven’t suggested excellence (missed cut at The Open Championship and Scottish Open, T48 at the Italian Open) but he did finish 9th in the 2026 LIV Golf standings, ahead of far more established names.
Eugenio Chacarra could arguably be the man who has made the biggest breakthrough in 2026. The Spaniard has won twice on the DP World Tour this season, at the KLM Open and Italian Open and has clearly piqued Luke Donald’s interest. This week, as Ryder Cup qualification begins, he is playing alongside Chacarra at the Belfry and has specifically highlighted his ability to win. The possibility of an all Spanish pairing of Rahm and Chacarra is always enticing, following in the footsteps of Rahm and García, and Ballesteros and Olazábal.
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen is one of a glut of impressive Scandinavian golfers, hoping to become the sixth Danish Ryder Cup player. In Rasmus, Donald would not be picking a player on his way down – he ended 2023 at 527 in the world rankings, 2024 at 94 and 2025 at 49. He won on the DP World Tour in 2025 and qualified for a PGA Tour card for 2026; but it must be said that he has found this latest step up challenging. One individual top 10 this year (at The Open Championship) and 99th place in the FedEx Cup is not a strong enough showing to warrant a Ryder Cup place today.
Matti Schmid is an outsider in the outsider group. He is yet to win as a professional but he has slowly established himself on the PGA Tour – with three individual top 10s this year (including T4 at the PGA Championship). He would need a big leap forward to make the team and be the next German after Bernhard Langer and Martin Kaymer.
The 30 somethings
Each of Harry Hall, Thomas Detry, Jordan Smith and Matt Wallace would need a golfing year of their life to make the 2027 team.
Harry Hall has been showing form that is probably slightly worse than prior to the 2025 Ryder Cup, making the chances of a pick more remote; a big win or consistent top 10 finishes on the PGA Tour in 2027 would be required (along with a big drop off from a lot of the other contenders).
Thomas Detry is another LIV player that is hard to place in the pecking order. His solid performances there earned him 6th in the end of year standings. His entire career could rest on the remainder of 2026, he is currently 107th in the Race to Dubai rankings so would need some good performances on the DP World Tour in order to play a full schedule next year, to even have the chance to become the third Belgian Ryder Cup player.
Jordan Smith had a solid 2025 DP World Tour season which earned him the tenth and final PGA Tour card for 2026. His 66th place finish in the FedEx Cup was probably better than pundits would have expected and his missing of only five cuts in individual events shows a high floor. However, his one top 10 finish suggests a relatively low ceiling.
Matt Wallace occupies a similar position to Harry Hall. He has been a solid performer on the DP World Tour and PGA Tour for a number of years. But in all likelihood if he didn’t make a Ryder Cup team during his 2018/2019/2020 peak his chances are only becoming more remote.
Young Players Who Could Make Europe’s 2027 Ryder Cup Team
Angel Ayora, Tom McKibbin, Oihan Guillamoundeguy and Jose Luis Ballester hold the greatest potential in the under 25 category. They have got through to the judges’ houses but are unlikely to make the 2027 live shows.
Angel Ayora is the first person we have mentioned on potential alone. He is probably Europe’s best 21 year old, exemplified by his five top 10s on the DP World Tour in 2026 and nine in 2025. Should Europe deliberately accelerate a 21/22 year old into the team rather than waiting until he is undeniable? Maybe not today but strong form and continuing to rise through 2027 could suggest he could be the 2027 version of a 19 year old Garcia in 1999, or a 21 year old Olazábal in 1987.
Tom McKibbin could be the Irishman in Ireland instead of Shane Lowry. He earned a PGA Tour card from his 2024 Race to Dubai season, but joined LIV Golf instead. His ascendancy has slowed since that move (as much as you can judge these things within the confines of LIV) with only two top 10s in the small field events this year, but his DP World Tour season as a 21 year old was notable.
Oihan Guillamoundeguy is the youngest man on our list and therefore the biggest punt. With two top 10s on the DP World Tour in 2026 and currently 57th on the Race to Dubai, he has managed well with each step up he has made in the professional game. 4th on the 2023 Alps Tour became 5th on the 2025 Challenge Tour. His rate of development makes him worth keeping an eye on – and becoming only the fourth French Ryder Cup player would be novel.
The 30th and final man on our watchlist is another Spaniard, José Luis Ballester. He has missed the cut in his last three DP World Tour events but has shown flashes of potential in the 2026 LIV Golf season. Aside from his golf itself, the major stumbling block today is his lack of DP World Tour membership.
My 30 European Ryder Cup contenders for 2027
Near-certainties: Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg, Tyrrell Hatton, Robert MacIntyre.
Strong favourites: Justin Rose, Aaron Rai, Kristoffer Reitan, Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka.
Genuine contenders: Alex Noren, Nicolai Højgaard, Marco Penge, Rasmus Højgaard, Alex Fitzpatrick, David Puig, Eugenio Chacarra, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen.
Outsiders: Harry Hall, Jordan Smith, Thomas Detry, Matt Wallace, Matti Schmid.
Youngsters worth watching: Ángel Ayora, Tom McKibbin, Oihan Guillamoundeguy, Jose Luis Ballester.
This list and tiering, especially below the near-certainties, is likely to look very wrong this time next year. It is supposed to. The interesting exercise is not predicting precisely which twelve golfers will be standing on the first tee at Adare Manor. It is identifying where the pressure on the existing team is going to come from, and where the future of the European Ryder Cup team is heading.
Which players suit Adare Manor?
There is also the small matter of the golf course itself. Adare Manor will measure more than 7,500 yards, and Ireland in September is not famous for drought. If the course plays soft (but it is set up to drain well), Donald may place a premium on length that would favour the likes of Penge, Højgaard and Puig. If Adare Manor is as wet in 2027 as The K Club was in 2006 any of these three could be a great ‘horses for courses’ choice (think Phil Mickelson in 2018, just the complete opposite).
Beyond 2027
There have never been more continental Europeans on a European Ryder Cup team than British and Irish players (closest was a 6-6 split in 2018). With it being highly unlikely that seven continental Europeans will get in ahead of McIlroy, Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick, Hatton, MacIntyre and Rose this record should continue through 2027.
However; Rahm, Hovland, Åberg, Straka, the Højgaard twins, Reitan, Puig, Chacarra and Ayora could swing the balance in favour of continental Europe in the early 2030s as the established British and Irish players go into their 40s (or, in Rose’s case, his 50s). The 2031 Ryder Cup being played in Spain might be rather well timed.
Continuity or renewal?
In 2025, Donald’s task was unusually simple. He had a winning team and almost nobody had done enough to break it up.
By 2027, the problem may be reversed. McIlroy, Rahm, Fleetwood and the core aren’t going anywhere. But Rai has become a major champion. Reitan has become a PGA Tour winner. Chacarra is winning in Europe. Ayora is 21. Rose is somehow still refusing to grow old.
Donald does not necessarily need to rebuild his team – but he does need to know when to start.
If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. But don’t wait until it is broken either.
The composition of the team may ultimately come down to how Donald sees his role.
Does he see himself primarily as the man trying to become the first European to captain three Ryder Cup victories — making Adare Manor his sole concern and giving the benefit of the doubt to proven incumbents such as Lowry and Straka?
Or does he also see himself as a custodian of “Ryder Cup Europe”, balancing the need to win in 2027 with the need to leave the next captain a team capable of winning in 2029 and beyond? That calculation potentially favours players such as Chacarra — Donald’s playing partner in the opening event of the qualification campaign — or one of the younger generation.
The American approach has often involved changing captains, structures and personnel from one cycle to the next. Europe’s great advantage has been its institutional memory: captains become vice-captains, vice-captains become captains, successful pairings survive and knowledge is passed down.
That makes change slower.
Done properly, it should also make it more considered.
Frequently asked questions
Who will qualify for Europe’s 2027 Ryder Cup team?
Six players will qualify automatically through the European qualification process, with captain Luke Donald selecting six wildcards.
Where is the 2027 Ryder Cup being played?
The 2027 Ryder Cup will be played at Adare Manor in County Limerick, Ireland.
Who is Europe’s captain for the 2027 Ryder Cup?
Luke Donald will captain Europe for a third consecutive Ryder Cup after leading the team in 2023 and 2025.
Which young European golfers could make the 2027 Ryder Cup team?
Ángel Ayora, Tom McKibbin, Oihan Guillamoundeguy and José Luis “Josele” Ballester are among the leading young prospects, although all currently sit outside the likeliest twelve.
Who is likely to play for Europe at the 2027 Ryder Cup?
Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg, Tyrrell Hatton and Robert MacIntyre currently form the most established core of Europe’s team. Justin Rose, Aaron Rai and Kristoffer Reitan are among the leading candidates to join them, with qualification running until 2027.
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