After selecting his three Captain’s Picks, Pádraig Harrington now knows his full 12-man team that will head to Whistling Straits for the 2020 Ryder Cup.
Team Europe includes seven players from the victorious 2018 Ryder Cup team who will be looking to bring the trophy back to Europe at the end of what will be a fascinating week in Wisconsin, USA.
Take a closer look at our team below.Paul Casey
After a successful Ryder Cup in 2018 as one of Thomas Bjørn's Captain's Picks, Casey makes the team this year as an automatic qualifier via the World Points List.
The 15-time European Tour winner has been in incredibly consistent form this year, collecting nine top tens and a milestone victory at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
The Englishman represented Europe at the 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2018 Ryder Cups, and is undefeated in nine of 12 matches across the four events.
In 2018, Casey followed an opening defeat alongside rookie Tyrrell Hatton in the Friday fourball matches with a 3&2 victory alongside Hatton in the Saturday fourball matches. He then went on to collect an impressive half point against Brooks Koepka - who was then World Number Three.
Matt Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick makes his second Ryder Cup appearance after qualifying for Harrington’s team via the World Points List. The Englishman made his debut in 2016, however will be looking to finish on the winning side come the end of the week at Whistling Straits this year.
It has been a consistent year for Fitzpatrick after winning the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai at the close of 2020 – the European Tour’s season-ending event. In 2021, the six-time European Tour winner has recorded six top ten finishes to sit comfortably in the automatic places on the World Points List.
Tommy Fleetwood
Fleetwood burst onto the Ryder Cup scene in 2018 when he and his partner Francesco Molinari won all four matches they played together at Le Golf National, and the Englishman will be hoping to impress again after earning his second appearance for Team Europe.
With Molinari, the duo became the first pairing to win four out of four matches during the contest in Paris, with their relationship on and off the golf course also stealing the headlines - resulting in the nickname 'Moliwood'.
Although he hasn’t won this year, Fleetwood has carded four top ten finishes and appears to be hitting form at the right time after finishing second at the DS Automobiles Italian Open – hosted at 2023 Ryder Cup venue Marco Simone Golf & Country Club – last week.
Sergio Garcia
A veteran of nine Ryder Cups, the Spaniard became Europe's all-time leading points scorer with 25.5 points at the 2018 Ryder Cup. He was unbeaten over the first two days at The K Club in 2006 and in the process became only the second player after Ian Woosnam to win all four points from his foursomes and fourball matches.
Two years earlier, he became only the sixth player to claim four-and-a-half points out of a possible five in the Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills. He was one of Colin Montgomerie’s vice captains at Celtic Manor in 2010, when Europe won by a single point. Garcia won his first Major Championship at the 2017 Masters Tournament, beating Ryder Cup team-mate Justin Rose in a play-off.
Tyrrell Hatton
Hatton made his Ryder Cup debut in 2018 after qualifying for Thomas Bjørn’s victorious European team and now makes his first away appearance when he joins the team for a second consecutive time in Whistling Straits.
In Paris, Hatton picked up one point from three matches with his win coming alongside Casey in the Saturday morning fourball matches.
Since the 2018 Ryder Cup, Hatton has won four times including the Turkish Airlines Open, BMW PGA Championship and Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship – all Rolex Series events on the European Tour – as well as the Arnold Palmer Invitational on the PGA TOUR. After opening 2021 with victory in Abu Dhabi, Hatton has recorded three further top ten finishes.
Viktor Hovland
Qualifying via the World Points list, Hovland will become the first Norwegian to represent Europe when he makes his Ryder Cup debut at Whistling Straits.
The 23-year-old is no stranger to setting Norwegian records, and has had a sharp rise to fame after turning professional. He became the first Norwegian to win on the PGA TOUR after his victory at the Puerto Rico Open in February 2020, and added a second victory at the Mayakoba Golf Classic in December.
Fast forward a year and he became the first Norwegian to win on the European Tour after his triumph at the BMW International Open in June.
As well as his victory in Germany this year, Hovland has recorded a further seven top six finishes to more than justify his place in Harrington’s team.
The youngster also has an impressive amateur matchplay record, going undefeated at the 2015 Jacques Leglise Trophy, as well as becoming the first Norwegian amateur to win the 2018 U.S. Amateur Championship.
Shane Lowry
Shane Lowry makes the team as a Captain's Pick meaning he will make his Ryder Cup debut under fellow Irishman, and good friend, Harrington at Whistling Straits.
The Irishman’s best performance this calendar year came at the U.S. PGA Championship, held at Kiawah Island Resort, where he finished in a tie for fourth place alongside Captain Harrington. He then followed that with a tied sixth finish at the Memorial, with two other top ten finishes coming in 2021.
Rory McIlroy
The four-time Major Champion heads to Whistling Straits with four Ryder Cup wins already under his belt, and he will be looking to add a fifth after being part of the European team who beat the United States at Le Golf National three years ago.
Since his debut in 2010, McIlroy has evolved into one of his continent’s most experienced and accomplished Ryder Cup players. Overall, the Northern Irishman has played in 24 matches, winning 11, halving four and losing nine, with an overall points total of 13.
The Northern Irishman began 2021 brightly by claiming a solo third in Abu Dhabi and then went on to win the Wells Fargo Championship on the PGA TOUR in May.
Since that triumph he has collected three further top seven finishes, with his best being a solo fourth finish at the BMW Championship.
McIlroy has found form at a great time, having only finished outside the top 14 once in his last five starts and qualifies, currently, via the European Points List.
Ian Poulter
Ian Poulter – nicknamed the Postman because he always delivers at the Ryder Cup – is a veteran of the event and came as no surprise when he was picked for the 2021 Ryder Cup thanks to the Englishman’s impressive performances across his six appearances
His Ryder Cup record takes some beating, losing just six of the 22 matches he has taken part in and is undefeated in the singles. His performance in 2012 at Medinah Country Club will live long in the memory of European fans after he won all four of his matches as Europe produced a famous Ryder Cup comeback. In the Saturday afternoon four-ball matches Poulter and Rory McIlroy were two down with six to play before the Englishman produced a heroic finish with five consecutive birdies to earn the point that would give the team belief they could go on to win The 2012 Ryder Cup.
With four top tens to his name this year, Poulter will come into the event filled with confidence.
Jon Rahm
World Number One Rahm has qualified for the European team for a second successive time after producing arguably the best golf of any European during the qualifying period – topping both points lists.
And it comes as no surprise given that this year he collected his first Major Championship at the U.S. Open and recorded a further 13 top ten finishes, while also reaching the top of the Official World Golf Ranking.
This helped the Spaniard rack up a staggering 10,122.82 European Points.
Rahm made his Ryder Cup debut in Paris in 2018 after automatically qualifying for Thomas Bjørn's European team. While he narrowly lost his first two matches, Rahm memorably went on to defeat Tiger Woods in the Sunday Singles matches 2&1, ensuring that all players won at least one point for Team Europe over the three days.
A more experienced Rahm could be a European to be feared at Whistling Straits.
Lee Westwood
Westwood is a Ryder Cup veteran and will tie Sir Nick Faldo’s long-standing Ryder Cup appearance record as he makes his 11th appearance on Team Europe. Since making his debut at the 1997 Ryder Cup, Westwood has earned 23 points for his team and won the Ryder Cup on seven occasions – and will no doubt be looking to add to that at Whistling Straits.
After featuring as a Vice Captain at the 2018 Ryder Cup, Westwood went on to win twice starting at the 2018 Nedbank Golf Challenge – a Rolex Series event on the European Tour – before picking up a second Rolex Series victory at the 2020 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship before ending the year as Race to Dubai Champion. This year, Westwood has collected three second place finishes.
Bernd Wiesberger
With his first appearance, Bernd Wiesberger makes history as the first Austrian golfer to represent Europe at the Ryder Cup.
A winner at the Made in HimmerLand on the European Tour, Wiesberger makes his Ryder Cup debut after qualifying via the European Points List. The Austrian was just outside the automatic places heading into the final week of qualifying at the BMW PGA Championship, but a tie for 20th sees Wiesberger head to Whistling Straits for a maiden appearance on Team Europe.
On top of his victory in Austria, Wiesberger has three further top six finishes including a second placed finish at the Omega European Masters. He is no stranger to pressure, having picked up eight victories on the European Tour including two Rolex Series events in the same year at the 2019 Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open and the Italian Open.
