One Year To The Ryder Cup - What Will Team Europe Look Like?

With a year to go, it's still up in the air as to how Team Europe will look in Rome

Rory McIlroy and Rasmus Hojgaard
Rasmus Hojgaard and Rory McIlroy at this week's Dunhill Links
(Image credit: Getty Images)

With a year to go until the Ryder Cup, things couldn't be more up in the air with Luke Donald likely still clueless as to how his side will look in Rome.

He knows that he'll have the powerhouses of Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm headlining the team, with fellow Major champions Matt Fitzpatrick and Shane Lowry likely joined by Viktor Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton. But from there, who knows.

All of the players mentioned above might seem unlikely additions to the side, especially via a wildcard pick given McIlroy's public comments, but a successful court case followed by a season of form could put them into the fray. All are capable of winning DP World Tour titles and even Majors on their day.

If the court case ends the Ryder Cup futures of the LIV players, it means that Europe's 12 will be looking much different to in previous editions where the likes of Poulter, Garcia, Westwood, Casey and Stenson have been fixtures of the side. 

"I think we were in need of a rebuild, anyway," McIlroy said. "It was sort of, we did well with the same guys for a very long time but again as I just said, everything comes to an end at some point. I think Whistling Straits is a good sort of demarcation, I guess.

“That’s all behind us. We have got a core group of guys but let’s build on that again, and instead of filling those three or four spots with older veterans, let’s blood some rookies and let’s get them in and build towards the future. I think that’s important.”

If McIlroy is right and gets his way, it means that Europe's final four or five spots on the team could be filled by the likes of Robert MacIntyre, Sepp Straka, Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard, Adrian Meronk, Adri Arnaus and Guido Migliozzi.

Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He covered the 2022 and 2025 Masters from Augusta National and was there by the 18th green to watch Rory McIlroy complete the career grand slam. He has also covered five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews.