Top 33 Ryder Cup Players of All Time

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
   Sergio Garcia

   Europe's all-time leading points scorer in the Ryder Cup.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Jon Rahm

   Beat Tiger Woods in singles on his 2018 debut and went unbeaten in Rome in 2023, a key figure in three European wins.
   694pts
3. 3
   Larry Nelson

   Won all nine of his matches in his first two Ryder Cups in 1979 and 1981, a perfect start few Ryder Cup players have matched.
   651pts
4. 4
   Jack Nicklaus

   Six appearances for the United States with a 17-8-3 record, remembered for conceding Tony Jacklin's putt in 1969 and later captaining the side twice.
   587pts
5. 5
   Rory McIlroy

   Played every Ryder Cup from 2010 to 2025 and was on six winning European teams.
   542pts
6. 6
   Walter Hagen

   Captained the United States in the first six Ryder Cups from 1927, playing in five of them and losing only one of his nine matches.
   542pts
7. 7
   Billy Casper

   Held the American record for Ryder Cup points won for decades.
   542pts
8. 8
   Arnold Palmer

   Six appearances for the United States, playing captain in 1963.
   491pts
9. 9
   Justin Rose

   Seven-time European player whose late birdies beat Phil Mickelson in the 2012 'Miracle at Medinah' singles, part of a 16-10-3 career record.
   491pts
10. 10
    Francesco Molinari

    In 2018 became the first European to win all five of his matches at a single Ryder Cup, four of them alongside Tommy Fleetwood.
    434pts
11. 11
    Patrick Reed

    'Captain America', who went unbeaten on his 2014 debut and beat Rory McIlroy in an epic 2016 singles opener at Hazeltine.
    434pts
12. 12
    Ian Poulter

    Built a reputation almost entirely on match play, with a win rate far above his stroke-play record.
    434pts
13. 13
    Raymond Floyd

    Eight-time Ryder Cup player from 1969 to 1993, the 1989 captain, and at 51 the oldest man to play in the event when he helped win at The Belfry.
    434pts
14. 14
    Tom Watson

    Went 10-4-1 across four Ryder Cups as a player and captained the United States to victory at The Belfry in 1993.
    434pts
15. 15
    Gene Littler

    Played seven Ryder Cups for the United States between 1961 and 1975 and finished with a 14-5-8 record that made him one of its toughest opponents.
    367pts
16. 16
    Phil Mickelson

    Holds the record for most Ryder Cup appearances by an American.
    367pts
17. 17
    Sam Snead

    Played seven Ryder Cups for the United States between 1937 and 1959, winning ten of his thirteen matches, and captained the team three times.
    367pts
18. 18
    Luke Donald

    Won all four Ryder Cups he played between 2004 and 2012, then captained Europe to victory in Rome in 2023 and at Bethpage in 2025.
    367pts
19. 19
    Tommy Fleetwood

    Won four matches with Francesco Molinari in 2018 and led Europe with four points in the 15-13 win at Bethpage in 2025.
    367pts
20. 20
    Darren Clarke

    Won all three of his matches at the 2006 K Club Ryder Cup weeks after his wife's death, one of five European appearances as a player.
    367pts
21. 21
    Bernhard Langer

    Ten appearances between 1981 and 2002, a Ryder Cup career spanning three decades.
    367pts
22. 22
    Tiger Woods

    Eight appearances, and a Ryder Cup record that never matched his stroke-play dominance.
    367pts
23. 23
    Seve Ballesteros

    Eight appearances for Europe and the partnership with Jose Maria Olazabal that defined the modern Ryder Cup.
    367pts
24. 24
    Hale Irwin

    Five-time American player with a 13-5-2 record who halved the decisive final singles against Bernhard Langer at Kiawah Island in 1991.
    289pts
25. 25
    Lee Westwood

    Eleven appearances for Europe between 1997 and 2021.
    289pts
26. 26
    Lee Trevino

    Six appearances between 1969 and 1981 with a 17-7-6 record, one of the best American match-play records, before captaining the 1985 team.
    289pts
27. 27
    Tony Jacklin

    Seven-time player who halved the famous 1969 match with Nicklaus, then captained Europe to its first wins in 1985 and 1987.
    197pts
28. 28
    Ian Woosnam

    Welshman who played eight straight Ryder Cups from 1983 to 1997, formed a winning partnership with Nick Faldo and captained Europe's 18.5-9.5 win in 2006.
    197pts
29. 29
    Sam Torrance

    Holed the putt that ended 28 years of American dominance at The Belfry in 1985, played eight times and captained Europe to victory in 2002.
    197pts
30. 30
    Nick Faldo

    Played eleven Ryder Cups for Europe and holds the record for most matches played.
    0pts
31. 31
    Colin Montgomerie

    Never lost a Ryder Cup singles match across eight appearances.
    0pts
32. 32
    Jose Maria Olazabal

    Ballesteros's partner in the most successful pairing the event has seen, then the winning captain at Medinah.
    0pts
33. 33
    Lanny Wadkins

    Eight-time American Ryder Cup player from 1977 to 1993 with a 20-11-3 record, one of the fiercest match-play competitors of his era.

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