AR
Rory McIlroy has become the first player to automatically qualify for Team Europe for the 2025 Ryder Cup.
The reigning Masters Champion will make his eighth consecutive Ryder Cup appearance when he is part of Luke Donald’s team for this year’s contest at Bethpage Black, New York, from September 26-28.
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McIlroy sealed his spot with two months of the qualification period remaining following four victories so far since the European points list began last August.
In addition to completing the career Grand Slam courtesy of his victory at Augusta National in April, the Northern Irishman also won the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai on the DP World Tour in November 2024, as well as the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The PLAYERS Championship on the PGA TOUR. He has ten top ten finishes in total across the qualification period and sealed his qualification after finishing tied 19th at last week’s U.S. Open at Oakmont.
McIlroy said: “It’s always a huge honour to represent Europe in the Ryder Cup, so it means a great deal to have qualified for my eighth in a row and to be part of Luke’s team again at Bethpage.
“Rome was such an incredible week with the environment Luke created, and I can’t wait to be back in the team room.
“Winning a Ryder Cup away from home is one of the biggest challenges there is in golf. We know it is going to be tough in New York, but we are all looking forward to that challenge in September and the opportunity to potentially do something special.”
European captain Luke Donald hopes to bring some of the magic his team showed in its dominant Ryder Cup win in Rome to Bethpage in 2025 – Richard Heathcote
Captain Luke Donald said: “Rory has once again been in superb form this year and I’m really pleased to welcome him to Team Europe as our first automatic qualifier for Bethpage.
“Clearly it is great to have the reigning Masters Champion on your team, but Rory also has a wealth of Ryder Cup experience and that is going to be important for us as we know how tough the challenge is going to be in New York.
“I’m now looking forward to seeing how the other players perform over the next two months and seeing who joins Rory in the other automatic qualification spots.”
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McIlroy made his Ryder Cup debut in Europe’s victory at The Celtic Manor Resort in 2010 and he was part of the most recent European Team to win on US soil at Medinah in 2012. He has featured on five winning teams altogether, having also been part of Team Europe’s victories at Gleneagles in 2014, Le Golf National in 2018 and Marco Simone in 2023.
He was Europe’s top points scorer in Rome two years ago, contributing four points as Donald’s team defeated the United States 16½-11½. The 36 year old has won 18 points overall in his seven previous Ryder Cup appearances.
The automatic qualification period for Team Europe ends on Sunday August 24. The top six players on the European Rankings at the conclusion of the Betfred British Masters will be secure their spots automatically in Donald’s 12-man team for the 2025 Ryder Cup, with Donald then due to select his six Captain’s Picks on Monday September 1.
McIlroy is currently joined in the automatic spots by Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry, Robert MacIntyre, Sepp Straka and Rasmus Højgaard.
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Scottie Scheffler
This comes after world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler officially clinched his place on the 2025 United States Ryder Cup team last week, becoming the first automatic qualifier for the biennial competition set to take place at Bethpage Black.
His impressive 2025 campaign includes three PGA Tour victories, highlighted by a commanding five-shot win at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, marking his third career major title.
This marks Scheffler’s third consecutive Ryder Cup appearance. He made his debut in 2021 at Whistling Straits, contributing to the U.S. Team’s record-breaking 19-9 victory over Europe.
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Main Image: Richard Heathcote
