Ryder Cup 2021: Who has the strongest team? USA v Europe player ratings ahead of 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits

ByEurosport

Updated 22/09/2021 at 20:09 GMT

Padraig Harrington's European side defend the Ryder Cup they won in France three years ago with a resounding 17.5-10.5 win over the United States. The hosts – captained by Steve Stricker – are 1/2 favourites to reclaim the trophy they lost in Paris, but can Europe upset the odds this time at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin? We look at the respective teams and mark all 24 players out of 10.

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The 43rd Ryder Cup between the USA and Europe begins on Friday at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin. We look at each team before golf's biggest team event with our in-depth guide to all 24 players as the visiting Europeans bid to defend the trophy they won at Le Golf National in Paris three years ago.

United States

Collin Morikawa 8/10
Age: 24 World Ranking: 3
Ryder Cup appearances: Rookie

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Two months ago he claimed his second major championship victory and was the darling of the golf world. Now he’s a struggling superstar, and there are injury concerns even if the man himself says his back is 100 percent healthy.

Oh, how quickly the narrative changes in this game. Morikawa entered the FedEx Cup Playoffs leading the points standings only to play quite poorly by his standards – but also anyone else’s – as he missed the cut at The Northern Trust, finished T-63 (out of 70) at the BMW and 28th (out of 30) for his 72-hole score at the Tour Championship.

Dustin Johnson 8/10
Age: 37 World Ranking: 2 Ryder Cup appearances: 4
Ryder Cup record (singles): 7-9-0 (3-1-0)

Ready to feel old? DJ is the oldest player on the American side by five years. He also has the most Ryder Cup experience of any of his team-mates, but given the European dominance in this event in recent years, most of that experience is of the losing variety.

Teased a dominant run to come in the tail end of 2020 but it didn’t materialise as he trudged through a semi-slump for most of the summer.

Bryson DeChambeau 7/10
Age: 28 World Ranking: 7 Ryder Cup appearances: 1
Ryder Cup record (singles): 0-3-0 (0-1-0)

Will be at the centre of attention all week, as is the case every week. Golf’s lightning rod has continued to make headlines, this time for his decision to put in two-a-days to train and compete in a Long Drive contest the day after the Ryder Cup – preparation for which, in his own words, has “wrecked” his hands.

This is in addition to his long-running feud with team-mate Brooks Koepka, which will surely be a topic of conversation.

Brooks Koepka 7/10
Age: 31 World Ranking: 10 Ryder Cup appearances: 2
Ryder Cup record (singles): 4-3-1 (1-0-1)

There are questions about his health and his attitude. We’ll start with his health – he withdrew from the Tour Championship after hitting a tree root and aggravating the same wrist that gave him trouble in 2018.

Then, he expressed apathy and borderline annoyance with the Ryder Cup team dynamic in an interview with Golf Digest.

Justin Thomas 8/10
Age: 28 World Ranking: 6 Ryder Cup appearances: 1
Ryder Cup record (singles): 4-1-0 (1-0-0)

Hard to believe he’s only played in one Ryder Cup, as he’s been firmly established in the elite tier for what feels like forever now.

Was a lone bright spot for the Americans in Paris in 2018, going 4-1 and forming one half of the Spieth/Thomas partnership that could well become a staple at Ryder Cups for years to come.

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Patrick Cantlay 7/10
Age: 29 World Ranking: 4
Ryder Cup appearances: Rookie

Another rookie-in-name only; he’ll turn 30 early next year, appeared on the victorious 2019 US Presidents Cup team and comes in playing the best golf of his life, having outdueled DeChambeau at Caves Valley and doing just enough at East Lake to win the FedEx Cup title – and, somewhat surprisingly, PGA Tour player-of-the-year honours over Jon Rahm.

Tony Finau 7/10
Age: 32 World Ranking: 9 Ryder Cup appearances: 1
Ryder Cup record (singles): 2-1-0 (1-0-0)

He always seemed a likely captain’s pick, given his prodigious length off the tee and propensity for birdie-binges, but his uninspiring form throughout the summer raised some question marks.

Steve Stricker must’ve been pleased, then, to see him end a five-year victory drought at The Northern Trust to open up the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Showed well as a captain’s pick in Paris, going 2-1 and dusting a previously unbeaten Tommy Fleetwood 6 and 4 in singles.

Xander Schauffele 8/10
Age: 27 World Ranking: 5
Ryder Cup appearances: Rookie

He certainly doesn’t feel like a rookie. Has been a big-time performer in the majors (without actually winning one, of course), got some team-play experience at the 2019 Presidents Cup and took home the gold for the US in the Olympics just a few months ago.

Ranked 12th on tour in eagle frequency and 11th in birdie percentage thanks to elite approach play (14th in strokes gained) and elite putting (16th in strokes gained).

Jordan Spieth 8/10
Age: 28 World Ranking: 13 Ryder Cup appearances: 3
Ryder Cup record (singles): 7-5-2 (0-3-0)

When he made his Ryder Cup debut as a 21-year-old in 2014, he looked a prime candidate to set the record for consecutive Ryder Cup appearances by an American.

He proceeded to fall into one of the more curious slumps in recent golfing memory and would’ve easily missed the 2020 team if it weren’t for Covid-19 postponing the event a year.

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Along with Morikawa, Harris English and Daniel Berger, he’s one of the shorter-hitting Americans, but that doesn’t make him short – he averaged 299.5 yards per drive last season, well above tour average – and it didn’t hurt him when he shot 18 under to finish solo second at the 2015 PGA at Whistling Straits.

Any fan of this game will be happy to see him back in the Ryder Cup mix, right where he belongs.

Harris English 7/10
Age: 32 World Ranking: 11
Ryder Cup appearances: Rookie

The Ryder Cup first-timer is actually the second-oldest player on the US team, and his laidback vibes don’t exactly scream wet-behind-the-ears youngster.

Had a breakout season with two victories, and it might have been three had he been paired with anyone other than DeChambeau in the final round at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.

Daniel Berger 7/10
Age: 28 World Ranking: 16
Ryder Cup appearances: Rookie

He’s a victim of his own soft-spokenness; you don’t see him get interviewed much, he doesn’t get the same airtime as his peers, and he’s often forgotten when discussing the gaggle of best young American players.

He’s never lacking on belief, though, and held firm in his belief that Stricker knew what he brought to the table and he’d be getting a call from the captain

Scottie Scheffler 6/10
Age: 25 World Ranking: 21
Ryder Cup appearances: Rookie

Such matters are not made official, but Scheffler was almost certainly the last man into the US team.

He’s the lowest-ranked American and seemed to be in a battle with Kevin Na and Patrick Reed for the final spot – Scheffler got the nod in large part, according to Stricker, due to his length off the tee and his runner-up finish in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play earlier this year.

He and English are the only two “true” rookies on the US side, meaning he has not played in either a Ryder or a Presidents Cup.

Team USA total: 88/120

Europe practice at Whistling Straits ahead of the Ryder Cup

Europe

Jon Rahm (Spn) 10/10
Age: 26 World Ranking: 1 Ryder Cup appearances: 1
Ryder Cup record (singles): 1-2-0 (1-0-0)

The undisputed best player in the world, both in name and in game, but it wasn’t enough to win PGA Tour Player of the Year. That went to Cantlay, despite Rahm faring better in each of the six majors of the 2020-21 “super” season and finishing head-and-shoulders above the rest in the statistical conversation. In the end, his lack of official wins hurt him. If he needed any added motivation to fuel the heater he’s riding, he has it.

Tommy Fleetwood (Eng) 7/10
Age: 30 World Ranking: 37 Ryder Cup appearances: 1
Ryder Cup record (singles): 4-1-0 (0-1-0)

Formed one-half of the Moliwood powerhouse in France, where he and his Italian partner took down Tiger Woods three times and Spieth/Thomas once.

He rode that momentum into 2019 and hovered around the world top 10 for most of the year, but 2021 has not been kind – the Englishman posted just two top-10s in 18 starts on the PGA Tour and missed the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Tyrrell Hatton (Eng) 5/10
World Ranking: 19 Ryder Cup appearances: 1
Ryder Cup record (singles): 1-2-0 (0-1-0)

Got as high as No 5 in the world after he began the year with a win in Abu Dhabi, but he’s been pretty terrible since.

He’s well-liked among his peers and could pair well with anyone, but he’s a good candidate to do some sitting, at least early in the matches. Simply put, he’s not in the greatest form.

Bernd Wiesberger (Aut) 6/10
World Ranking: 63
Ryder Cup appearances: Rookie

You got the sense Padraig Harrington wanted Shane Lowry to get the last auto-qualifying spot, which would’ve freed the European captain up to use a pick on Justin Rose. Wiesberger had other ideas.

The Austrian finished strong to eek in on points and become the first player from his country to play in the Ryder Cup.

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Rory McIlroy (NIR) 9/10
Age: 32 World Ranking: 15 Ryder Cup appearances: 5
Ryder Cup record (singles): 11-9-1 (2-2-1)

He’s playing in his sixth consecutive Ryder Cup and entered the first five as Europe’s best or second-best player virtually every time. That’s not quite so clear-cut this go round, as he’s dropped to World No 15 as he continues to work on swing changes, so it’s possible his streak of playing all five sessions in four straight Ryder Cups could come to an end.

Yet this is a good course for him, he’s a natural leader in any setting and a big-stage performer, so he figures to be at the centre of the action all week.

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Viktor Hovland (Nor) 7/10
Age: 23 World Ranking: 14
Ryder Cup appearances: Rookie

One of just three first-timers on the European side, the Norwegian will be a thorn in American sides for the next decade-plus. Was still 10 months away from turning pro during the last Ryder Cup, but in the three years since, he’s won twice on the PGA Tour and is knocking on the top-10-in-world door.

Not the longest guy out there but still ranked fifth on tour in SG/off the tee, and his consistent ball-striking is the perfect formula for 72-hole stroke-play events.

Paul Casey (Eng) 7/10
Age: 44 World Ranking: 24 Ryder Cup appearances: 4
Ryder Cup record (singles): 4-3-5 (1-1-2)

Needed a captain’s pick in 2018 to play in his first Ryder Cup since 2008 but had no such stress this time, as he qualified easily thanks to a mid-40s renaissance that has shown no signs of slowing down.

Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng) 6/10
Age: 27 World Ranking: 27 Ryder Cup appearances: 1
Ryder Cup record (singles): 0-2-0 (0-1-0)

Had a miserable experience five years ago in his first Ryder Cup as a 22-year-old at Hazeltine. He was a much more one-dimensional player there, relying on a low piercing cut off the tee and struggling on big American-style courses.

Darren Clarke opted to sit him for the first three sessions that week, so he entered the singles having only played alternate shot and was pumped by Zach Johnson on Sunday.

He’s put on about 30 pounds and 30 yards of distance since then and is a much well-rounded player, but his value could come down to the weather forecast.

Lee Westwood (Eng) 6/10
Age: 48 World Ranking: 35 Ryder Cup appearances: 10
Ryder Cup record (singles): 20-18-6 (3-7-0)

Played on 10 consecutive Ryder Cup teams from 1997-2016 but looked to have moved onto the assistant captain/eventual captain stage a few years back...only to re-assert himself among the game’s best, highlighted by back-to-back 54-hole leads and back-to-back solo seconds at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship in March.

Sergio Garcia (Spn) 8/10
Age: 41 World Ranking: 43 Ryder Cup appearances: 9
Ryder Cup record (singles): 22-12-7 (4-4-1)

He is the most prolific winner in Ryder Cup history. It became official in Paris, when he passed Nick Faldo to become the all-time leader in Ryder Cup points, and his record in team sessions is an astounding at 18-8-6.

Needed a captain’s pick to get to his 10th Ryder Cup as he’s no longer a fixture in the top 10 of the World Ranking, as he was for a decade, but he managed to get into the Tour Championship with a strong showing at Caves Valley and will have plenty of confidence in his game heading into the Ryder Cup, his ultimate comfort zone.

Shane Lowry (Ire) 7/10
Age: 34 World Ranking: 42
Ryder Cup appearances: Rookie

There was a sense that he “deserved” a spot on this team after winning the 2019 Open Championship, but by the time the post-Covid Ryder Cup points list rolled around he needed a captain’s pick from good buddy/compatriot Harrington.

Ian Poulter (Eng) 8/10
Age: 45 World Ranking: 50 Ryder Cup appearances: 6
Ryder Cup record (singles): 14-6-2 (5-0-1)

No player in this generation has become more synonymous with the Ryder Cup than the spiky-haired Brit.

His overall record speaks for itself, and his 5-0-1 record in singles speaks even louder.

He does not have a swing you’d watch on the driving range for hours, nor does he hit it miles, but he finds a way to get it in the hole and make crucial putts every single Ryder Cup appearance.