Ryder Cup report cards: Ranking all 24 players' performances so far
The European Ryder Cup team are on the verge of a sensational victory over the United States at Bethpage Black in New York. GolfMagic evaluates the performances of every player so far.
Luke Donald's Europe are on the verge of a sensational away Ryder Cup victory here at Bethpage Black.
All the talk before the biennial event got underway here in New York focussed on how it could potentially be a "bearpit" for the blue and gold.
Instead, it's been a bloodbath for Keegan Bradley's United States team.
The finger pointing has already begun, and the top-ranked Scottie Scheffler is coming under heavy criticism for his performance this week.
Scheffler has lost all four of his matches and will face an inspired Rory McIlroy in the singles this afternoon.
The last time a player went 0-5 was in 1983. Back then, the matches were played between the US against Great Britain and Ireland.
Bradley has also seen several other members of his side underwhelm. Russell Henley has played two matches and lost two matches. Ditto Collin Morikawa and Harris English.
Ben Griffin played one match on Friday then was benched.
Bryson DeChambeau talked a big game but has only tasted victory once from his four matches. Even Patrick Cantlay, usually so reliable for Team USA in the big moments, has only contributed 1.5 points to their dismal total.
Take a look at the results below.
GolfMagic has also given their grades for each player.
Player | Played | Won | Lost | Halved |
Sam Burns | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Patrick Cantlay | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Bryson DeChambeau | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Harris English | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Ben Griffin | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Russell Henley | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Collin Morikawa | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Xander Schauffele | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Scottie Scheffler | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
JJ Spaun | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Justin Thomas | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Cameron Young | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Player | Played | Won | Lost | Halved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ludvig Aberg | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Matt Fitzpatrick | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Tommy Fleetwood | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Tyrrell Hatton | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Rasmus Hojgaard | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Viktor Hovland | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Shane Lowry | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Robert MacIntyre | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Rory McIlroy | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Jon Rahm | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Justin Rose | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Sepp Straka | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
United States
Scottie Scheffler
Grade: D
Four defeats from four matches suggests an abysmal performance, but I'm prepared to cut Scheffler a bit of slack, although not much. I'd argue he was a touch let down by Russell Henley on Friday, who seemed incapable of making a putt. Scheffler made a big mistake on the final hole of his Saturday foursomes match against Viktor Hovland and Robert MacIntyre, chunking a wedge into the bunker on the 18th. That was clearly inexcusable from a player of his calibre. He then came up against Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood, who rolled in putts from everywhere. Sometimes, you just have to tip your cap.
Patrick Cantlay
Grade: C
A return of 1.5 points from four matches suggests a mediocre performance from Patrick Cantlay, who always seems to show up in the big team events for his nation. He has made plenty of clutch putts, but there simply weren't enough. Don't think he was helped by Sam Burns, either.
Bryson DeChambeau
Grade: C
Overall, Bryson DeChambeau has actually played okay. Came up against European foursomes juggernauts Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton in the first match, then lost a close one to Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose. Thrived with Cameron Young in the first foursomes match on day two, then one could make the case his playing partner let him down a tad in their loss to Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy.
Harris English
Grade: D
Was thrown out with Collin Morikawa in the foursomes, despite being the worst pairing from a statistical angle. I think captain Keegan has to shoulder the blame here. It wasn't his fault that he was essentially sent out to lose. Twice.
Ben Griffin
Grade: D
Pretty tough for Ben Griffin to only make one start on his Ryder Cup debut. Showed a few signs of life in his match with Bryson DeChambeau, but didn't bring the heat. According to Data Golf, he finished that session the second-worse strokes gained.
Russell Henley
Grade: D
Many tipped Russell Henley to be among the top points scorers, given he was essentially meant to be the answer to the question of, "Who partners Scottie Scheffler?". It was surprising to see him take the odds on day one. He played a bit better when they switched and Henley hit from what many believe were the correct tees for their partnership. But it just wasn't great, was it?
Collin Morikawa
Grade: D
I have a difficult time laying into Collin Morikawa for the same reason I gave Harris English a D. He was set up to fail, in my opinion.
Xander Schauffele
Grade: B
Has a 2-1 record so far. Could've very easily been 3-1. One of Bradley's better performers.
J.J. Spaun
Grade: C
Probably should've been used more by Bradley. Seemed to play well under pressure.
Justin Thomas
Grade: C
The heartbeat of Bradley's team was statistically the worst player on the course on Friday morning after he and Bryson DeChambeau were defeated in the opening match. There have been a few bright moments, but generally, Thomas is likely to leave Bethpage Black with the same emotions as Marco Simone.
Cameron Young
Grade: B+
One of only two players with two points. Rose to the occasion, playing in front of his home fans.
Sam Burns
Grade: D
According to DataGolf, Burns was statistically the worst player strokes gained across the two sessions he played. Badly let down his playing partner, Patrick Cantlay.
Europe
Rory McIlroy
Grade: A+
Rory McIlroy has been public enemy number one all week. How he has delivered 3.5 points given the attempts to throw him off his game - mid-swing - beggars belief.
Robert MacIntyre
Grade: B
Generally a very steady performance from the Scot. Put up a good fight in the Friday foursomes with Viktor Hovland against Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. Got his win in the Saturday foursomes against Russell Henley and Scottie Scheffler, thanks in part to some darts he fired on the back nine.
Tommy Fleetwood
Grade: A+
How can you put Tommy Fleetwood's 2025 Ryder Cup performance into words? It's an impossible task. When and where will they put his statue?
Justin Rose
Grade: A
Just like in Rome, Justin Rose had a very specific role: foursomes. Rose has played twice and won twice, dropping every putt in sight. A true class act who should turn down the captaincy if offered. Why? Because he's playing the best golf of his career.
Rasmus Højgaard
Grade: C
I don't want to be too tough on a rookie. Came up against and inspired Justin Thomas and Cameron Young and was on the receiving end of a drubbing. Didn't help matters that Ludvig Aberg was also dreadful in that match. The Dane was benched on Saturday.
Tyrrell Hatton
Grade: B
Hatton's putting has, again, been superb. The Englishman has had several big moments here and seems to have built an impenetrable foursomes wall with Jon Rahm in the foursomes. Was brilliant coming down the stretch in his Saturday fourballs match with Matthew Fitzpatrick, helping Europe get to 11½.
Shane Lowry
Grade: B
Let's be honest, Shane Lowry has not been at his absolute best this week. But he's built for the Ryder Cup and you have to give him the credit he deserves for delivering at clutch moments. Take, for example, his play on the 17th and 18th holes of his tense Saturday afternoon fourballs match with Rory McIlroy against Justin Thomas and Cameron Young.
Jon Rahm
Grade: A
Has answered his critics and then some. Nobody really knew what to expect from Jon Rahm - but one thing was for certain. If Europe were to win on away soil, then they needed Rahm to fire on all cylinders. And he's done just that. Hit the best shot at the Ryder Cup with that chip in. It's been an astonishingly good display from Rahmbo.
Matt Fitzpatrick
Grade: A
European fans will be thrilled for Matthew Fitzpatrick as he made a big improvement to what was an abysmal Ryder Cup record. For the first two foursomes sessions, he was by far the best player on the course. Was partnered with Tyrrell Hatton at the last minute in the Saturday foursomes as a result of Viktor Hovland's withdrawal and delivered when it mattered most on the final hole of his match against Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay, hitting a delightful wedge at the 18th for a gimme birdie.
Sepp Straka
Grade: C
The big Austrian has been pretty average, really. He played two matches with Jon Rahm and the pair lost one and won the other.
Ludvig Aberg
Grade: C-
You could make the case that it was Matthew Fitzpatrick who shone more as Europe dismantled Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley 5&3 in the Friday foursomes. Aberg then looked well off his game when he teamed up with rookie Rasmus Hojgaard against Cam Young and Justin Thomas in the fourballs. Also didn't cover himself in glory when Bryson DeChambeau and Young defeated the Swede and Fitzpatrick 4&2 in the Saturday foursomes.
Viktor Hovland
Grade: C
It's been an interesting performance from Viktor Hovland. Struggled in the foursomes and wasn't that good on Saturday. His standout moment came when he holed an incredible birdie putt on the 17th to retain Europe's slender lead going up the last against Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley. Hovland didn't play on Saturday afternoon because of a neck injury and was ultimately forced to withdraw.
Ben Smith joined the GolfMagic team in September 2021, initially as a content executive.
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