The dust has settled on the 2025 Ryder Cup, though we suspect some of the hangovers on the European team may not be quite fully cleared just yet. This incredible golf competition rarely fails to deliver, but even by its own high standards, 2025 was something special.
We saw Europe absolutely dominate for the first two days, through four sessions and 16 matches. Despite facing some abhorrent abuse and an incredibly hostile crowd, Luke Donald’s magnificent dozen stood up and played superb golf, performing as a team in a way that the US rarely seem capable of.
It seemed that the away side could be on for a record win after they headed into the Sunday singles with a brilliant 11.5 to 4.5 advantage. However, whether it be through European complacency, US brilliance, or just a few small moments going the way of the home side, Keegan Bradley’s men fought back superbly.
In the end, it wasn’t enough and Europe not only did enough to retain the cup, but won it outright. It was a struggle at times but they got there, winning by 15 points to 13. But who were the key players and who had a Ryder Cup to forget? Let’s take a closer look at who won the most points and who will wish they had maybe stayed home.
US Team Stats
Before we get to the European team, let us look at how the US did. No defeat is a good outcome, even more so at home, but by having the best of the singles they gave the score a sense of respectability. Three of their players can be very happy with the work they did at Bethpage but most will feel they could have done so much more for their team.
It is a particular indictment on both their team and, in particular, the captain that all three of the players chosen for every match had awful competitions. Their best players didn’t deliver when the heat was on and the skipper’s unwillingness to leave them out may have cost the US the Ryder Cup.
Patrick Cantlay, Bryson DeChambeau and world number one Scottie Scheffler played five out of five matches. Scheffler was beaten four times, only narrowly avoiding being whitewashed when he managed to beat Rory McIlroy on the 18th hole of their singles clash. He got one point, while the other two managed 1.5 each, winning one, drawing one and losing three times.
| Player | Matches | Points | Win Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Young | 4 | 3 | 75 |
| Xander Schauffele | 4 | 3 | 75 |
| J.J. Spaun | 3 | 2 | 67 |
| Justin Thomas | 4 | 2 | 50 |
| Patrick Cantlay | 5 | 1.5 | 30 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | 5 | 1.5 | 30 |
| Ben Griffin | 2 | 1 | 50 |
| Sam Burns | 3 | 1 | 33 |
| Scottie Scheffler | 5 | 1 | 20 |
| Harris English | 3 | 0.5 | 17 |
| Russell Henley | 3 | 0.5 | 17 |
| Collin Morikawa | 3 | 0.5 | 17 |
Note that Harris English gained his half point through the singles but he did not actually play. Viktor Hovland was injured so the US withdrew English, the match being classed as a half.
European Dominance Down to Key Players and Skipper
The full European table can be seen below, showing how many points each player won, as well as the other stats in the US table.
| Player | Matches | Points | Win Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tommy Fleetwood | 5 | 4 | 80 |
| Tyrell Hatton | 4 | 3.5 | 88 |
| Rory McIlroy | 5 | 3.5 | 70 |
| Jon Rahm | 5 | 3 | 60 |
| Matt Fitzpatrick | 4 | 2.5 | 63 |
| Justin Rose | 3 | 2 | 67 |
| Shane Lowry | 3 | 2 | 67 |
| Ludvig Aberg | 4 | 2 | 50 |
| Robert MacIntyre | 3 | 1.5 | 50 |
| Viktor Hovland | 3 | 1.5 | 50 |
| Sepp Straka | 3 | 1 | 33 |
| Rasmus Hojgaard | 2 | 0 | 0 |
The difference between the performances of Europe’s biggest, best and most important players, and their US counterparts, is striking. The three players that Donald sent into battle at every opportunity amassed 10.5 points. In a sense, we can say that is where the Ryder Cup was won, with Rory, the sensational Fleetwood, and Rahm, outscoring Scheffler, Cantlay and DeChambeau by 6.5 points.
It was little surprise that Fleetwood delivered the goods. The popular Southport man was the top scorer for Europe and indeed at the whole Ryder Cup. Given that he came into this team event having claimed his first-ever PGA tournament win, his form was obviously good. He is a calm, relaxed guy and a team player through and through.
However, he was arguably the form player in world golf, having recently become the first player in history to be in the top six of the leaderboard after every round of the FedEx Cup play-offs. He was a massive 43 under par for the 12 rounds involved and he brought that form with him into the Ryder Cup.
Europe’s unsung hero, even if he was certainly not short of attention due to his personality and quote-worthiness, was perhaps Tyrell Hatton though. We can definitely assume he had a hangover on Monday (and Tuesday) but he deserved a drink. He was the only player from either side to go unbeaten having played four matches or more.
Indeed only one other player managed that feat – Shane Lowry, who had a win and two halves from his three matches. Both men halved their singles matches and on a Sunday that was in danger of spinning out of control, those two halves were massive.