Ryder Cup 2025 European Captain's Picks: When will Luke Donald announce his team - and who's likely to make it?
Today’s the big day.
There’s now less than a month to go until Europe take on America in the 2025 Ryder Cup, due to be played at the Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, New York, from September 26-28.
Initially played between teams from the United States and Great Britain and Ireland, the first match took place in 1927 at Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts.
American dominance saw the team extended to include players from continental Europe from 1979 and, since then, the biennial competition has become one of the most eager-anticipated events in the golfing calendar by both players and fans.
In 2023 Team Europe triumphed by 16.5 point to 11.5 point in Italy so the Americans will be out for revenge this year.
What we don’t know yet is what the European team will look like - but we will soon.
Here’s everything you need to know.
How is the European team selected for the Ryder Cup?
A total of 12 players make up the Ryder Cup team, with the top six players in the Ryder Cup Points List automatically qualifying. This year’s Points List is different from previous years, amalgamating the two lists formerly used for qualifying - the World Points List and the European Points List. It allocates points according to the importance of each competition - headed by 5,000 points for winning a Major. The final qualifying event was the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo.
The other six players will be chosen by Luke Donald - known as the ‘Captain’s Picks’.
How is the American team selected for the Ryder Cup?
America has a near-identical process (which has not always been the case), with the top six players on a list calculated using points earned in PGA Tour and major championships over a two-year period automatically qualifying. The other six players will be picked by captain Keegan Bradley.
Who is playing for America in the Ryder Cup?
American captain Keegan Bradley has already picked his team, with the following 12 players taking part:
- Scottie Scheffler
- J.J. Spaun
- Xander Schauffele
- Russell Henley
- Harris English
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Sam Burns (captain’s pick)
- Patrick Cantlay (captain’s pick)
- Ben Griffin (captain’s pick)
- Collin Morikawa (captain’s pick)
- Justin Thomas (captain’s pick)
- Cameron Young (captain’s pick)
Who has already qualified for the European Ryder Cup team?
At the end of the qualifying process, the top six players on the Ryder Cup Points Table, who gained an automatic place on the team, were as follows:
- Rory McIlroy: 3489.21 points.
- Robert MacIntyre: 1709.94.
- Tommy Fleetwood: 1622.11.
- Justin Rose: 1545.72.
- Rasmus Højgaard: 1283.56.
- Tyrrell Hatton: 1279.33.
When will Luke Donald announce his Captain’s Picks?
European captain Luke Donald will announce the final six people to make his team at around 2pm on Monday, September 1.
Can I watch Luke Donald make the announcement live?
The announcement will be made live on Sky Sports Golf. If you aren’t a Sky subscriber you can still access the channel via NOW TV, available from £14.99 for a day pass.
Who is likely to make the European team as part of the Captain’s Picks?
Spain’s Jon Rahm, Ireland’s Shane Lowry, Sweden's Ludvig Aberg and Norwegian Viktor Hovland all seem to have done enough to be picked by Donald - it would be a huge shock for any of them to be left out.
So that leaves just two places in the team up for grabs, most likely to go to Austrian Sepp Straka, who was a Captain’s Pick at the last Ryder Cup, and 2022 US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick.
Neither are guaranteed a spot though and, depending on the way Luke Donald sees the contest playing out, he may opt for the likes of Nicolai Hojgaard, Harry Hall, Matt Wallace or Aaron Rai instead.
Only time will tell.
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