Who is the greatest Ryder Cup player in history?

The Ryder Cup rewards a different skill set from stroke play: match play, foursomes, and a crowd that never stops. These are the players who kept delivering points.

1. 1
   Seve Ballesteros

   Eight appearances for Europe and the partnership with Jose Maria Olazabal that defined the modern Ryder Cup.
2. 2
   Nick Faldo

   Played eleven Ryder Cups for Europe and holds the record for most matches played.
3. 3
   Colin Montgomerie

   Never lost a Ryder Cup singles match across eight appearances.
4. 4
   Ian Poulter

   Built a reputation almost entirely on match play, with a win rate far above his stroke-play record.
5. 5
   Bernhard Langer

   Ten appearances between 1981 and 2002, a Ryder Cup career spanning three decades.
6. 6
   Sergio Garcia

   Europe's all-time leading points scorer in the Ryder Cup.
7. 7
   Arnold Palmer

   Six appearances for the United States, playing captain in 1963.
8. 8
   Billy Casper

   Held the American record for Ryder Cup points won for decades.
9. 9
   Rory McIlroy

   Played every Ryder Cup from 2010 to 2025 and was on six winning European teams.
10. 10
    Jose Maria Olazabal

    Ballesteros's partner in the most successful pairing the event has seen, then the winning captain at Medinah.
11. 11
    Lee Westwood

    Eleven appearances for Europe between 1997 and 2021.
12. 12
    Tiger Woods

    Eight appearances, and a Ryder Cup record that never matched his stroke-play dominance.
13. 13
    Phil Mickelson

    Holds the record for most Ryder Cup appearances by an American.