How To Qualify For The Ryder Cup

The 44th Ryder Cup will see Luke Donald's Team Europe take on Zach Johnson's Team USA at Marco Simone near Rome in Italy. 

Some of the best players in the world will be in action for the three-day match, with the US hoping to win on European soil for the first time in 30 years, and Europe looking to regain the trophy it lost at Whistling Straits two years ago. 

But how were the personnel whittled down to the 24 players entrusted with the task?

The first thing to note is that the qualifying criteria is different for each, even though on the surface they look relatively similar. 

However, while both Team Europe and Team USA comprises six players who qualified automatically and six handpicked by their captains, how they got there is markedly different.  

How To Qualify For Team Europe

Where Team Europe is concerned, the first thing you need to have a chance of qualifying automatically is membership of the DP World Tour. For that reason, LIV Golf players Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter effectively ended their Ryder Cup careers when they resigned from the DP World Tour earlier in the year.

Despite that stipulation, though, DP World Tour members who largely play on the PGA Tour have a chance to qualify via the World Points list. That's how Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton and Matt Fitzpatrick secured their places in the 2023 match.

For those who mainly ply their trade on the DP World Tour, there is the European Points list. From that, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Robert MacIntyre secured automatic qualifying places.

The qualifying period began with the 2022 BMW PGA Championship and concluded on 3 September 2023 following the DP World Tour's Omega European Masters. European points were earned via the Race to Dubai, which offered points in all DP World Tour events as well as the four Majors and the WGC-Match Play.

The World Points list offered points based on Official World Golf Ranking points, covering all events including on the PGA Tour.

The day after the qualifying period ended, Donald named his six wildcards - players he deemed worthy of inclusion based on his judgement who missed out on automatic qualification. Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Justin Rose, Nicolai Hojgaard and Ludvig Aberg were the six he selected to complete his team.

How To Qualify For Team USA

The qualification process for the USA Ryder Cup team is more straightforward. Players need to be a member of the PGA of America, and there is just one list through which to qualify automatically. 

Despite the emergence of LIV Golf, the likes of Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson could still earn points on that list, although after moving to the circuit, their options were limited to the four Majors. 

Koepka came closer than any other LIV Golf player to achieving it thanks to his T2 in The Masters and win in the PGA Championship, although ultimately, he just missed out to Xander Schauffele. 

The first chance players had to earn points was in the 2022 Players Championship. That year, one point was awarded per $1,000 earned at The Masters, PGA Championship, US Open and The Open, with one point per $2,000 on offer at The Players Championship, WGC-Match Play. 

In 2023, the qualifying period continued from the start of the year until after the BMW Championship on 20 August, with one point per $1,000 earned at regular PGA Tour events, two points per $1,000 earned for the winner of the Majors, and 1.5 points per $1,000 for those who made the cut in the Majors.

In the end, it was no surprise that PGA Tour players dominated automatic qualifying, with Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa and Schauffele guaranteeing their places. 

Like Donald, Johnson then had to decide on six wildcards, and opted for Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns, Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas and Koepka, who is the one LIV Golf player to reach the Ryder Cup.