Rory McIlroy first to qualify for Team Europe Ryder Cup team
Rory McIlroy is the first player to automatically qualify for Team Europe for the 2025 Ryder Cup and set to make his eighth consecutive appearance in the competition.
The Masters Champions is the first member of captain Luke Donald's teams for this years edition of the Ryder Cup which will take place at Bethpage Black in New York from September 26-28.
The Hollywood native has secured his spt with two months to spare in the qualificaiton period after his four victories to date since the European points list started in August.
McIlroy, who has hit a slump since completing the career Grand Slam by winning the green jacket at the Masters, won the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in November 2024, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Players Championship on the PGA Tour. He has also 10 top 10 finishes across the qualification period and his 19th place finish at the US Open at Oakmont secured his qualification.
Speaking on his automatic qualification McIlroy said 'It's always a huge honour to represent Europe in the Ryder Cup, so it means a great deal to have qualified for my eighth in a row and to be part of Luke's team again at Bethpage.
'Rome was such an incredible week with the environment Luke created, and I can't wait to be back in the team room.
'Winning a Ryder Cup away from home is one of the biggest challenges there is in golf. We know it is going to be tough in New York, but we are all looking forward to that challenge in September and the opportunity to potentially do something special.'
Make that EIGHT consecutive Ryder Cups 😏@McIlroyRory is the first #TeamEurope player confirmed for the 2025 Ryder Cup. pic.twitter.com/WfkXS5L8JT — Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) June 16, 2025
McIlroy made his Ryder Cup debut in Europe's win in 2010 at The Celtic Manor Resort and was part of the most recent European team to win in the US in 2012 at Medinah. He has been on five winning teams having been part of the successful teams at Gleneagles in 2014, Le Golf National in 2018 and Marco Simone in 2023.
He was Europe's top points scorer two years ago in Rome contributing four points as Team Europe defeated the United States 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 and has won a total of 18 points overall in his previous seven appearances.
Captain Donald is delighted to have McIlroy back on board for the 2025 edition of the Ryder Cup.
'Rory has once again been in superb form this year and I'm really pleased to welcome him to Team Europe as our first automatic qualifier for Bethpage.
'Clearly it is great to have the reigning Masters Champion on your team, but Rory also has a wealth of Ryder Cup experience and that is going to be important for us as we know how tough the challenge is going to be in New York.
'I'm now looking forward to seeing how the other players perform over the next two months and seeing who joins Rory in the other automatic qualification spots.'
The automatic qualification perioid ends for Team Europe on Sunday August 24 with the top six players in the European rankings at the conclusion of the British Master securing their spots with Donald set to select his Captain's Picks on Monday September 1.
Currently in the automatic spots are Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry, Robert MacIntyre, Sepp Straka and Rasmus Hojgaard.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Drogheda United boss Kevin Doherty tells story to explain his shock at Euro expulsion
KEVIN DOHERTY revealed he was so sure Drogheda United would be given the all-clear in Conference League that he did give Silkeborg's Euro qualification no moment's thought. The Drogs are Advertisement Investors Trivela own both Drogheda and Silkeborg, but the Danes are allowed into the Conference League instead as they finished higher in their league table. Drogheda appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration in Sport who ruled in favour of UEFA on Monday which exhausted the Drogs' chances of a reprieve. 2 Drogheda United manager Kevin Doherty talks to media about his club's CAS appeal after Monday night's 2-1 loss to Shamrock Rovers And stunned Drogheda United manager Doherty admitted that he never, ever thought that the decision would go against his side. He said: 'I may as well be honest. I was so confident I was in the airport (during the summer break). Advertisement Read More On Football 'I was looking at the result from Silkeborg and I thought 'Fair play to them' when they won (a Euro play-off). 'That's how…I was so confident and obviously the club were too. 'On Friday night, I wasn't bulls****ing you. Everything I said on Friday still applies today based on the information I had. 'I said that about 100 times. I was confident, very confident. We're heartbroken.' Advertisement Most read in Football Live Blog Exclusive Breaking Doherty said it is for the club to discuss whether there were financial implications - European football would have meant a guaranteed €525,000 in prize money. 2 Kevin Doherty led Drogheda United to FAI Cup glory last season But he praised his players for how they performed in last night's 2-1 loss to Shamrock Rovers as proving they can qualify for Europe again this season. He said: 'Everything around the club on the pitch is on the up. CAS doesn't change that. Look, have a look around, how positive that is. Advertisement 'But it was certainly something that I had to dig deep myself, to go into dressing room and try and motivate lads to play a football match.' That Drogheda lost infuriated Doherty who believes that Shamrock Rovers' equaliser by Graham Burke came from a free kick that should never have been given. He said: 'I know managers sometimes do this to deflect. It's mental. I don't know how many away fans there is, 650? I didn't hear one Rovers supporter looking for a free kick. 'It absolutely kills you. You are playing the best team in the country by a mile, you are coming out playing like that and after the day we've had. Advertisement 'I thought we deserved something out of the game.' Doherty also highlighted that his squad is stretched at the moment with last night's game being the second of a run of five matches in 15 days. And he pointed out that the Shamrock Rovers game was brought forward because both sides are meant to be in Europe next month. He said: 'I am just sick. The ironic thing is the reason we're playing this game is (Europe). We've five games in 14 days and we're picking up knocks and we're picking up injuries. Advertisement 'The only reason we're playing this game now (is Europe, and we've) one league game in July.'
RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
'The result was taken away from us' - Pride, shock and anger all present for Drogheda boss Kevin Doherty
Pride, shock and anger were the three emotions seeping out of Drogheda United boss Kevin Doherty on a difficult day on and off the pitch for the Louth club. Shock at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling that ended their European ambitions, pride at how his players responded to that devastating blow hours before kick-off to take the lead against Shamrock Rovers and his anger at the free-kick call that led to the away side levelling things up just before the break before Aaron Greene secured a 2-1 win in the second half. The contentious decision came when Andy Quinn was penalised for an apparent handball spotted by assistant referee Emmett Dynan – Graham Burke driving the set-piece low to the corner – and Doherty admitted that he had to temper his true thoughts on the decision when speaking to the media. "You're playing the best team in the country by a mile, you're coming out and playing like that after the day that we've had, such pride and b*lls and everything that our lads had and for that to happen," he told RTÉ Sport's John Kenny. "I have to be very careful, I don't want to go personal or individual about this, anybody with a pair of eyes that are working could see what happened here tonight." "That result was taken away from us tonight, let the whole country and social media and everyone else look at it because they will be the judge, jury and executioner for these things that happen because nothing else seems to happen in these games," he later added. There was only one topic at Sullivan and Lambe Park pre-match and that was CAS denying the club a spot in Tuesday's UEFA Conference League draw due to their multi-club-ownership rules. Last Friday, Doherty had spoken of his confidence that the decision would go their way, so he was startled when news filtered through that they had lost their case as he made his way to the game. "I wasn't bull****ing, everything I said on Friday still applies today, every single word I said in that interview on Friday still applies today. "There's no doubt it's disappointing...a tough day, yeah." DROGHEDA OUT OF EUROPE AFTER CAS RULING Even with Monday's double blow, Doherty promised that Drogheda's story wouldn't be written in the boardroom and a tightknit group would rebound. "One thing you can certainly say is we're going for Europe again next year. You can see that it's something we want to push on. "It's something you want to do, you want to progress year on year and I think the jump we've made this year without going mad as well, it's evident that we haven't been going mad. We haven't gone out and brought in ten lads. "We've done it the right way, we've done it with the players that it means so much (too). "The calibre of player coming into us, hungry and they want to play, want to win."
The 42
2 hours ago
- The 42
Grit and guile sees Shelbourne inflict first home defeat in a year on St Patrick's Athletic
St Patrick's Athletic 0 Shelbourne 1 RICHMOND PARK FELT like a restless and frustrated place as Shelbourne inflicted a first home defeat on St Patrick's Athletic in more than a year. Seventeen league games after Dundalk won here on 3 June, 2024, the champions came out on top courtesy of Ali Coote's deflected first-half strike. For Damien Duff it was the perfect tonic after a sobering 2-1 defeat at home to Shamrock Rovers on Friday, this win taking them level on points with Stephen Kenny's side but trailing them in fifth on goal difference. If they look up, though, they will see Drogheda United and Bohemians within touching distance but Rovers bolting into the distance 12 points clear. Already this felt like a game a Dublin derby that's primary importance was the race for European football. Shels now have three wins in their last 11 games, the same number as Pat's, the kind of form that has seen any serious talk of a title challenge dissipate. Shels started like a side who had no time to feel sorry for themselves after Friday's loss. Even without the injured Kerr McInroy, absent through injury for the first time this season, in the middle of the park the visitors assumed control with a tempo and confidence that the passive hosts just didn't match. Shels might have had reason to go into their shell and think the world was against them on seven minute when a lovely piece of one touch passing involving Mark Coyle, Sean Boyd and Coote opened up the Saints defence with the Scot's run from deep putting him through on goal. Advertisement Shelbourne's JJ Lunney is tackled by Jamie Lennon of St Pat's. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO Referee Paul Norton was quick to blow his whistle for a foul on Boyd, though, and rather than allow play develop he brought it back. Duff and the Shels bench were rightly aggrieved but, three minutes later, they were celebrating when Coote found the net. It was a passage of play that summed up the difference between the sides during the first-half; Shels were positive and front-footed, taking the initiative and punishing their standoffish opponents. Coyle drove from the middle of the Pat's half, made it into the box without a challenge and practically bumped into Harry Wood who then was able to take possession and feed Evan Caffrey on the right. Again, pressure was non existent and he was able to pick out a deep cross to the opposite side where Tyreke Wilson was unmarked could concentrate on his deft first-time lay off for Coote eight yards out. He got his left-footed shot off straight away and the lunging Tom Grivosti deflected it just to the right of Joey Anang. From that point on Shels maintained control in and out of possession, every misplaced pass or missed opportunity to attack adding to that sense of restlessness and frustration among the home fans. Even the one half chance Pat's mustered on 23 minutes came when Aidan Keena couldn't control a cross from the right, the ball trickled on to Jay McClelland and his shot from the edge of the area was deflected over. Boyd had a great chance to double Shels' lead 10 minutes before the break when Caffrey's dinked cross from the right found Boyd in acres of space in the box. The striker opted to shoot with his left as the ball came over his shoulder and couldn't direct it on target. Kenny responded to his side's lethargy with a triple substitution at half-time. Mason Melia joined Keena in attack with Jake Mulraney making way along with both full backs, Anto Breslin and Ryan McLaughlin. They were replaced by Barry Baggley and Axel Sjoberg, respectively, with McClelland going to left back and Baggley into midfield. It was scrappy and fraught as the game crept beyond the hour mark with only Conor Kearns needing to get down low to save from Keena's long-distance effort. Just when a lull began to linger in the play the Pat's crowd in the main stand were on the feet in anger demanding Sam Bone be shown a red card for a late, sliding tackle on Melia that sent the young forward into the air after he nicked the ball past him towards goal. The covering Paddy Barrett ensured a sending off was never on the cards with just a yellow shown. Pats did force Shels onto their 18-yard box for the final 20 minutes but the champions were comfortable in their defensive shape barring one scramble in the box that saw substitute Zach Elbouzedi see his rebound shot blocked in the six-yard box by Caffrey. There were still moments of danger, like when Melia went down in the box under little pressure and Duff was shown a yellow card for his complaints, and Jamie Lennon's strike from 20 yards that had a lovely bit of fade to take it away from Kearns but grazed the top of the crossbar. The Shels keeper did have to make a superb save from Baggley at the end of normal time and once the five minutes of injury time were up Shels could celebrate a win that was produced through grit and guile. St Patrick's Athletic: Joey Anang; Ryan McLaughlin (Axel Sjoberg HT), Joe Redmond (captain), Tom Grivosti, Anto Breslin (Barry Baggley HT); Simon Power, Jamie Lennon, Jay McClelland, Kian Leavy (Zach Elbouzedi 71), Jake Mulraney (Mason Melia HT); Aidan Keena (Conor Carty 85). Shelbourne: Conor Kearns; Evan Caffrey (Sean Gannon 75), Paddy Barrett, Sam Bone, Kameron Ledwidge, Tyreke Wilson (James Norris 75); Harry Wood, Mark Coyle (captain), JJ Lunney (Dan Kelly 70), Ali Coote (Ellis Chapman 60), Sean Boyd (John Martin 70). Referee: Paul Norton. Attendance: 4,421
