As the start of the 2023 Ryder Cup nears, anticipation is through the roof as golf fans wonder which team has the edge.
While the Americans won the Ryder Cup in historic fashion in 2021 at Whistling Straits with a score of 19-9, they’re facing a three-decade deficit when competing overseas. That sets the tone for what should be an epic match-up between the 24 best players from the United States and Europe when the Ryder Cup begins on Friday.
Who is the likeliest to shine when the matches kick off on Friday at Marco Simone in Rome? Below, you can check out our (wholly subjective!) power ranking of each player.
2023 Ryder Cup power rankings
24. Robert MacIntyre (EUR)
The 27-year-old Scot is a rookie for Team Europe this year, earning an automatic berth. He has two career DP World Tour wins on his resume, and six DP World Tour top 10s this year, including a runner-up finish at the Scottish Open.
23. Shane Lowry (EUR)
Lowry collected a 1-1-1 record at his first Ryder Cup as a captain’s pick for Europe at Whistling Straits in 2021. The 2019 Open Champion had a middling year on the PGA Tour with one top 10, but posted a T3 finish at the DP World Tour’s Irish Open earlier this month.
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22. Tyrrell Hatton (EUR)
This year marks Hatton’s third Ryder Cup appearance. His overall record of 2-4-1 leaves a bit to be desired, but his form has been rock-solid on the PGA Tour this year, with only one missed cut in 21 appearances and 7 top 10s, including a runner-up finish at the Players Championship.
21. Nicolai Hojgaard (EUR)
This Ryder Cup rookie has two DP World Tour wins on his resume — one of which is the 2021 Italian Open, played at none other than this week’s host course, Marco Simone. (This year, he was T5.) The 22-year-old Dane put together a solid 2023, with six DP World Tour top 10s since January.
20. Sepp Straka (EUR)
As one of Team Europe’s four rookies, Straka’s potential is somewhat unknown. But the 30-year-old put together an undeniably successful PGA Tour season that featured a win, two runner-ups, five top 10s and nine top 25s.
19. Sam Burns (USA)
Burns is making his Ryder Cup debut this year, and no doubt he’ll be eager to improve upon his disappointing 2022 Presidents Cup record of 0-3-2. There’s plenty of reason for optimism, though: Burns won this year’s WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play tournament.
18. Matt Fitzpatrick (EUR)
This year marks Fitzpatrick’s third Ryder Cup appearance, but the 29-year-old has yet to win a point for Team Europe, going 0-5-0 in two appearances in 2016 and 2021. Still, Fitzpatrick has added plenty of lines to his resume since his last Ryder Cup appearance at Whistling Straits. He won the U.S. Open for his first major the following year, beat Jordan Spieth in a playoff to claim the 2023 RBC Heritage title and is now 8th in the world.
17. Rickie Fowler (USA)
Fowler is one of the U.S. team’s veterans, playing in his fifth Ryder Cup this year. His overall record of 3-7-5 is middling, but his recently resurgent form — a win at the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic and a near-miss at the U.S. Open — is a good sign for Team USA.
16. Wyndham Clark (USA)
After winning the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship and the U.S. Open this year, Clark punched his ticket to his first-ever Ryder Cup. He’s top 4 on Tour in scrambling and total birdies for the 2022-23 season, which bodes well for his performance in Rome.
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15. Brian Harman (USA)
Ryder Cup rookie Brian Harman showed some serious grit in his Open Championship win, battling tough conditions and the weight of a weekend lead for his first major championship. He’s also the top-ranked player in Tour in scrambling and putting from six feet — two essential categories for success at the Ryder Cup.
14. Tommy Fleetwood (EUR)
Though Fleetwood hasn’t had a win on Tour since the 2022 Nedbank Golf Challenge, he’s had an excellent season in 2023, with nine top 10s, including a runner-up finish RBC Canadian Open, where he lost in a playoff on the fourth hole. His 4-2-2 Ryder Cup record is one of the team’s more solid tallies.
13. Justin Rose (EUR)
Rose’s stellar 13-8-2 Ryder Cup record made him a natural choice for one of Luke Donald’s six captain’s picks. He won the 2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier this year for his 11th career PGA Tour victory, and though his form has cooled a bit since then, he did post five PGA Tour top 10s this season. His status as an experienced elder statesman for Team Europe will likely pay dividends.
12. Brooks Koepka (USA)
Koepka has a winning Ryder Cup record of 6-5-1, but he’s also never lost a singles match, with a 2-0-1 record. As the only LIV golfer on a Ryder Cup roster, it’s hard to get an accurate gauge on Koepka’s current form, but his win at the PGA Championship in May for his fifth major title was a reminder that he has a habit of showing up when it matters.
11. Justin Thomas (USA)
Thomas was the team’s most controversial captain’s pick, despite his 4-1-0 record at last year’s Presidents Cup and his outstanding 6-2-1 overall Ryder Cup record. His play was so-so for most of the season, as Thomas missed the FedEx Cup playoffs for the first time in his career, but he did post an encouraging 5th-place finish at the Fortinet Championship in Napa, and will no doubt play like he has something to prove in Rome.
10. Collin Morikawa (USA)
Morikawa didn’t win a tournament this year, but he did have two runner-ups and six top 10s. More important, he has a strong match-play resume, with a 2-1-0 record at last year’s Presidents Cup and a 3-1-0 record at the 2021 Ryder Cup. He’s also consistently one of the best iron players on Tour.
9. Patrick Cantlay (USA)
Like Morikawa, Cantlay didn’t win a Tour event this year, but he did finish fifth at the Tour Championship and is ranked 5th in the world. Perhaps most important, though: He’s established himself as a match-play killer, going 3-0-1 at the 2021 Ryder Cup, and 3-1-0 at last year’s Presidents Cup.
8. Xander Schauffele (USA)
Schauffele has a proven record of success at team events, with a 3-1-0 record at both last year’s Presidents Cup and the Ryder Cup. In terms of current form, he’s coming off a runner-up finish at the Tour Championship, and is one of the best mid-iron players on Tour.
7. Ludvig Aberg (EUR)
It wouldn’t be an overstatement to call Aberg the hottest player at the Ryder Cup. A former top-ranked amateur who earned his PGA Tour card as the top collegiate player in the country while at Texas Tech, the 23-year-old Swede has proven he can handle pressure, birdieing four of his final five holes to win the Omega European Masters in Switzerland. And that was after he posted a T4 in his first DP World Tour event at the Czech Masters.
6. Viktor Hovland (EUR)
Hovland’s 0-3-2 record from the 2021 Ryder Cup is an affront to his current form. The 26-year-old notched three PGA Tour wins this year, nine top 10s and 18 top 25s. He also won the FedEx Cup, and is now ranked 4th in the world.
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5. Jon Rahm (EUR)
With a 4-3-1 record in two Ryder Cup appearances, World No. 3 Jon Rahm is particularly fearsome in foursomes, where he’s 2-0-0. The 28-year-old’s form has cooled a bit since the beginning of the year, when he amassed four wins in quick succession, including the Masters, though he did finish T2 at the Open Championship.
4. Max Homa (USA)
Homa is one of the U.S. team’s hot-ticket rookies. Not only did he win two tournaments earlier this year, but he was also one of the top performers at the 2022 Presidents Cup, going 4-0-0. Need more? He was T9 at this year’s WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, tops the tour in par-3 scoring average and is 6th in strokes gained putting.
3. Scottie Scheffler (USA)
Scheffler’s match play record is a bit of a mixed bag. His outstanding debut at the 2021 Ryder Cup featured a 2-0-1 overall record, highlighted by a 4-and-3 singles win over Jon Rahm. But last year’s Presidents Cup was a different story, as Scheffler went 0-3-1 — the worst record on the team, alongside Kevin Kisner. Still, Scheffler is World No. 1, won two big-time tournaments this year and is the most consistent player on Tour, with a ball-striking prowess that is in a league of its own.
2. Jordan Spieth (USA)
While his results of late have been somewhat uninspiring for a player of his caliber, Spieth is one of the U.S. team’s most experienced veterans, boasting an 8-7-3 overall record — with 5 of those points coming from four-ball matches. He’s also coming off an epic 5-0-0 Presidents Cup performance last year — the best record on the team.
1. Rory McIlroy (EUR)
McIlroy is Team Europe’s most experienced player, competing in his seventh Ryder Cup. He’s also among the most successful, with four Ryder Cup team wins on his resume, and a 12-12-4 overall record. As the second-ranked player in the world, McIlroy’s game speaks for itself, but the 34-year-old’s excellent 2022-23 PGA Tour season included two wins and 13 top 10s. He’s also the best on Tour off the tee. A formidable opponent indeed.