In a Ryder Cup twist, vice captain Alex Noren beat 11 members of Team Europe to win the BMW PGA Championship
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Alex Noren made a late charge this summer to try and force his way onto Team Europe for the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. The Swede, who missed the first several months of the season due to a 90 percent tear of his hamstring, carded a T7 at the 3M Open and a T3 at the Wyndham Championship before winning the British Masters at the Belfry last month.
But in the end, Noren did not make the cut and was instead named as a vice captain to assist captain Luke Donald on Long Island later this month.
However, as is usually the case after the Ryder Cup captain’s picks are made, a reason for second-guessing emerged this week at the DP World Tour’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club. With 11 of Team Europe’s 12 members in the field this week, many were expecting weekend fireworks between the likes of Rory McIlroy — fresh off his Irish Open win — Jon Rahm, Ludvig Åberg and others.
Instead, Noren brought his A-game to Wentworth, eventually beating Adrian Saddier on the first playoff Sunday to win his second BMW PGA Championship title and 12th career win on the DP World Tour. Noren’s uptick in play was partially spurred by his desire to make his first Ryder Cup team since 2018, but he admits it’s a spot he didn’t earn, and Donald was right to take his six picks — Shane Lowry, Viktor Hovland, Åberg, Rahm and Matt Fitzpatrick — to fill out the roster.
“I think we have a great team and I think it’s the right 12 guys that are playing,” Noren said on Sunday after winning the BMW. “I showed good form late, but it was the wrong time, and I didn’t really show the form I needed to show when I started playing, and too many kind of bad tournaments in the middle of the season. Then way better the last six starts.”
Asked if he planned to take his clubs to Bethpage Black just in case Team Europe needed them, Noren smiled and immediately put on his vice captain’s hat. His clubs will have to wait until 2027 to see Ryder Cup action again.
“I’ll take my clubs this time but take [them] home to Florida,” Noren said. “I think the other guys have played better than me throughout the year. I’ve had a great result now in the last month but it came a little bit too late. I think the guys on the team are going to be fantastic.”
As for the members of Team Europe, Tyrrell Hatton and Viktor Hovland entered the final round with a chance to charge up the leaderboard and challenge Noren for the trophy, but neither could put the gas pedal down Sunday to catch the Swede. Hatton shot a final-round 2-under 70, while Hovland shot a 69. They finished in a tie for fifth at 15 under, four shots back of Noren and Saddier. Fitpatrick also finished T5.
McIlroy, meanwhile, scuffled through the first three rounds before making five birdies and two eagles on Sunday to shoot a 7-under 65 and finish in a tie for 20th alongside Åberg.
“There’s been a lot of talk and a lot of chat and a lot of thinking about the Ryder Cup,” McIlroy said after his final round. “But you still want to play well this week. I saw a glimpse of that. There was a lot of birdies and eagles and just a few too many bogeys and double-bogeys to have a chance to win ,but overall, happy with the week and obviously very excited for what’s to come in a couple weeks’ time.”
Rahm carded a 66 on Sunday to finish tied for 13th. The two-time major champion needed a captain’s pick from Donald after not securing enough points at major championships following his move to LIV Golf. Despite the defection, Rahm remains a foundational part of Team Europe. His foursomes pairing with Hatton was potent during Europe’s 2023 win in Rome, and he could be asked to shepherd rookie Rasmus Hojgaard around Bethpage in two weeks.
Further down the leaderboard, Tommy Fleetwood, who just won the PGA Tour’s Tour Championship, and Shane Lowry finished in a tie for 46th. Justin Rose finished T61. Robert MacIntyre and Hojgaard missed the cut.
Team Europe will now head to Bethpage for a team scouting trip on Monday and Tuesday. After that, the team will break for a few days before rejoining on Long Island for the event that has taken up all the oxygen in the golf world since McIlroy won the Masters to complete the career grand slam.
They will do so confident that they can become the first away team since the 2012 Europe “Miracle at Medinah” squad to win on away soil.
“Wouldn’t be the first time miracles happened twice,” Rahm said on Sunday. “Got to have faith. I think we’re playing good enough and we are a good and strong enough team to face what we are going to face at Bethpage and hopefully end up with the Cup.”
“I keep saying this: We have a massive opportunity to do something that not a lot of Ryder Cup teams say that they have done,” McIlroy said on Wednesday. “But I think we all know it’s going to be very, very difficult, and you’re not just playing 12 American golfers. You’re also trying to get past the crowd, and that’s the same thing that they feel when we come here and play in Europe. Just it definitely gives you a bit of an in-built advantage to start the week, and that’s something definitely that we’re going to have to overcome. But I think it’s a wonderful opportunity. I don’t want to speak on behalf of everyone that’s on the team, but I would assume that we are all very, very excited for that opportunity.
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Josh Schrock is a writer and reporter for Golf.com. Before joining GOLF, Josh was the Chicago Bears insider for NBC Sports Chicago. He previously covered the 49ers and Warriors for NBC Sports Bay Area. A native Oregonian and UO alum, Josh spends his free time hiking with his wife and dog, thinking of how the Ducks will break his heart again, and trying to become semi-proficient at chipping. A true romantic for golf, Josh will never stop trying to break 90 and never lose faith that Rory McIlroy’s major drought will end (updated: he did it). Josh Schrock can be reached at josh.schrock@golf.com.
