A historic Ryder Cup beating is in the books. Now it’s time to record the rankings. Here’s our take on all 24 players.
24. Paul Casey
The Europeans had experience on their side. But except for Sergio Garcia, the team got little help from its Ryder Cup veterans. Witness Casey, who came away with zero points in four tries this week.
23. Rory McIlroy
After earning his first point of the week with a win over Xander Schauffele in singles, McIlroy broke down in tears while being interviewed on camera, a testament to his passion for the event — and to his disappointment in how he played.
22. Matthew Fitzpatrick
There were six English players on the European team, and they combined to earn a paltry four points for the week. Fitzpatrick contributed none of those, going 0-3-0.
21. Ian Poulter
Even as he birdied six of his first 12 holes in Sunday singles against Tony Finau, there was no chest-beating and no bug-eyed stares from the European firebrand. In what seems bound to be his final appearance as a competitor in the biennial event, Poulter simply wasn’t his old Ryder Cup self.
20. Lee Westwood
Despite a fountain-of-youth season, the 48-year-old Westwood couldn’t turn back the clock in his 11th Ryder Cup appearance. His lone point of the week, in Sunday singles, came well after the team result was sealed.
19. Tommy Fleetwood
Fleetwood entered the event searching for his form. There wasn’t much indication that he found it.
18. Bernd Wiesberger
The last man to qualify for the Europeans, Wiesberger was not widely expected to be a huge factor — and he wasn’t. The Austrian Ryder Cup rookie didn’t earn a point.
17. Viktor Hovland
When the adrenaline finally wears off enough for him to sleep after his rookie Ryder Cup appearance, Hovland will likely find his slumbers haunted by his flatstick, which betrayed him far too often for his strong ball-striking to overcome.
16. Daniel Berger
The captain’s pick and Ryder Cup rookie didn’t do anything especially flashy. But what he did was good enough to come away with wins in two of the three matches he played.
15. Jordan Spieth
It wasn’t a bad week for Spieth. Just a quiet one, a fact that speaks less to his own performance than it does to the sparkling play of so many of his teammates.
14. Shane Lowry
In a week with little cause for celebration for the Europeans, Lowry made one of the loudest statements, a clutch putt on 18 to give his team a full point in Saturday afternoon four-ball. No matter your allegiance, it was hard not to cheer for a man who demonstrated so much spirit even as his team was getting trounced.
13. Tyrrell Hatton
Hatton came up huge on Friday afternoon, earning a half-point for his team with a birdie on the brutally demanding closing hole. His team could have used a lot more of that from him.
12. Brooks Koepka
Let the Twittersphere question his commitment to the event. Regardless of whether he loves the rah-rah extras, Koepka brings it when it matters. His 2-2-0 record (he lost twice to world No. 1 Jon Rahm) is not a fair reflection of how well he played.
11. Harris English
The oldest of Team USA’s six Ryder Cup rookies, English, 32, carried himself with the poise of the four-time PGA Tour winner that he is. His 1-down loss to Lee Westwood, which came long after the whole shebang was settled, barely counts as a blemish on an otherwise solid debut.
10. Bryson DeChambeau
On top of the 2.5 points he earned in his three matches, give DeChambeau bonus points for how he set aside a whirlwind of distractions. By the time he got done dusting Sergio Garcia in Sunday singles, his beef with Koepka and all that other Brooksie nonsense were little more than white noise in the distance. What you heard instead was crowds urging DeChambeau to pull the big stick, a club that has made him one of the most compelling players in the game today.
9. Justin Thomas
Whether he was chugging beers on the 1st tee or dropping birdies out on the course, Thomas emerged as an emotional and physical leader of Team USA, a rabble-rouser with the game to back it up.
8. Tony Finau
In the giddy afterglow of a record-breaking U.S. win, it’s already being said that a new age has dawned in American golf. If that’s the case, Finau stands as one of its emblems, a young birdie-machine who hits the ball forever and eats up the atmosphere of this event.
7. Collin Morikawa
Never mind his recent battle with a balky back. Morikawa’s spine — and nerves — held up nicely all week, as he turned in a strong 3-0-1 performance. Even his tie in Sunday singles was notable, as the half-point clinched the cup for Team USA.
6. Sergio Garcia
Along with countryman Jon Rahm, Garcia was a rare bright spot for Europe, earning three of four potential points, falling short only in Sunday singles against a dialed-in Bryson DeChambeau.
5. Xander Schauffele
Despite a loss on Sunday to Rory McIlroy, Schauffele was rock solid in his first Ryder Cup, establishing himself, like his friend and foursomes partner, Patrick Cantlay, as a key part of Team USA’s ‘Generation Next.’
4. Scottie Scheffler
Other Americans earned more points, but few were more impressive than Scheffler. Questioned by some as a worthy captain’s pick, Scheffler served as a steady sidekick for Bryson DeChambeau the first two days, and then punctuated his week by knocking off world number-one Jon Rahm in Sunday singles.
3. Jon Rahm
Europe’s runaway MVP left nothing in the bag this week, earning 3.5 points in a performance that reaffirmed his standing as the world’s No. 1. The only thing Rahm couldn’t do was play defense, his lone loss coming in Sunday singles against an opponent (Scottie Scheffler) who birdied five of his first six holes.
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