Rory McIlroy becomes first player to automatically qualify for 2025 European Ryder Cup team
Rory McIlroy becomes first player to automatically qualify for 2025 European Ryder Cup team
One of the stalwarts of the European Ryder Cup team is officially locked in for the 2025 competition at Bethpage Black.
Rory McIlroy, the No. 2 golfer in the world and Masters champion, became the first golfer to automatically earn a spot for captain Luke Donald's Team Europe, it was announced Monday. He will make his eighth consecutive Ryder Cup appearance at the biennial competition, scheduled Sept. 26-28 in New York.
McIlroy locked up his spot with two months of the qualification period left thanks to four wins since the European points list began last August.
"It's always a huge honor 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," McIlroy said. '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.'
McIlroy, 36, has won 18 points in his seven Ryder Cup appearances.
The automatic qualification period for Team Europe ends Sunday, Aug. 24. The top-six players on the European rankings at the conclusion of the Betfred British Masters will secure their spots automatically on Donald's 12-man team for the 2025 Ryder Cup, with Donald's captain's picks coming Monday, Sept. 1.
'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," Donald said. "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."
As it stands now, the other automatic qualifiers for Team Europe would be Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry, Robert MacIntyre, Sepp Straka and Rasmus Hojgaard.
'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," Donald said.
Two weeks ago, Scottie Scheffler became the first automatic qualifier for Team USA.
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Gregory gave Spaun tips how to read the lies in the rough and then the proper technique to save himself when he was out of position. 'He's not afraid to have the best year of his career and to reach out and say, 'I want to be elite, and I need some help,'' Gregory said. 'He said, 'I want the ball; I just need the tools.' That shows the kind of person he is. He didn't want to settle for just being great.' But in the penultimate group on Sunday, Spaun's chances appeared to be dwindling. He chopped his way up the opening hole and made bogey. He dropped shots on four of the next five holes, too, with bad breaks (caroms off the flagstick and rake) and poor club selection, his win probability plunging to just 1%, according to Data Golf. When the horn sounded to suspend play, Spaun was seething – and also grateful. Granted an opportunity to decompress and start anew, he headed to the clubhouse, where he swapped out his solid navy polo in favor of a patterned one, and regrouped with his team. 'He was pissed off – and he should have been,' Gregory said. 'And that's a great thing, because anger can lead to motivation. He was like, 'This is bulls---, I can go win this thing, and I just need one thing to go my way.'' That happened on the 12th hole, when Spaun's second shot in the heavy rain dove into the native area down the right side. Except, for once, he was relieved to see it somewhat sitting up in the hay, allowing him to put a wedge on the back of the ball and trundle it onto the green, 40 feet away. He canned that putt for an unlikely birdie – and then he was off, hardly missing a shot down the stretch and saving his best stuff for the final 30 minutes of the longest day of his life. The tee shot on 17 set up the go-ahead birdie, and all that was left was to pass the U.S. Open's final test: No. 18 ... 509 yards ... bunkers and rough left ... hack-out rough right ... and a hard-sloping, sopping-wet fairway ... And Spaun hit a 308-yard seed that split the fairway. He scooped up his tee before his ball had even begun its descent. 'It's just do-or-die, right?' Carens said. 'You've got to sack up and hit the shot. And he did.' And it was the perfect encapsulation of a championship that, after a few wayward years, finally returned to its roots. Challenging conditions that emphasized the importance of clean, crisp, center-face contact. A setup so demanding that it prompted a former champion to trash his locker. And a steely competitor, coming into his own after years of perseverance, who met the challenge with perhaps the most clutch final two holes in the tournament's 125-year history. Six macho shots, for glory. 'It's the hardest course I've ever seen, the ultimate test,' Gregory said, 'and J.J. wasn't afraid.' The quintessential U.S. Open venue – and an archetypal champ. Watch the 71st hole which flipped the U.S. Open on its head for eventual winner J.J. Spaun, starting with the drive of a lifetime that set up a two-putt birdie to take the outright lead at Oakmont Country Club.
