Tommy Fleetwood scored the winning point to ensure Europe regained the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone GC in Rome; who else impressed and who struggled during the week as we dish out our player ratings for Team Europe and the USA?
Monday 2 October 2023 16:16, UK
After Team Europe regained the Ryder Cup following a thrilling, fiery clash with the USA in Rome, we look at which players starred and who struggled; who claimed their record points haul, who went winless and who holed the winning putt?
Rory McIlroy - 4 points from five matches - 9/10
An emotional McIlroy produced his record Ryder Cup points haul, forming a successful new foursomes partnership with Tommy Fleetwood to win both matches and also earning a point alongside Matt Fitzpatrick in Friday's fourballs. He recovered from getting into a heated exchange with Patrick Cantlay's caddie after a final-hole loss on Saturday afternoon to be reduced to tears following an impressive 3&1 singles victory over Sam Burns on the way to Europe's win on the Sunday.
Viktor Hovland - 3.5 points from five matches - 9/10
Played the role of a veteran despite it being only his second Ryder Cup appearance. He formed an impenetrable, and potentially long-term, foursomes partnership with fellow Scandinavian star Ludvig Åberg as they handily won both of their match-ups - including one by a record-breaking 9&7 margin against Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka on Saturday morning. The Norwegian signed off with a dominant 4&3 singles win over Collin Morikawa and will be part of plenty of successful European teams in the years ahead.
Tyrrell Hatton - 3.5 points from four matches - 8/10
While others on the team may grab the headlines, Hatton quietly accumulated quite the points haul, winning both of his foursomes matches with Rahm either side of a halved effort in fourballs with Hovland against Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. After a well-earned rest on Saturday afternoon, Hatton returned to claim Europe's 14th point on their way to victory with a 3&2 singles success against Brian Harman.
Jon Rahm - 3 points from four matches - 8/10
An unbeaten week for the Spanish star, winning both of his foursomes matches with Hatton and then dragging out an unlikely tie in the Friday fourballs after chipping in for eagle at 16 and following that up with a 35-foot putt for eagle at the last. He led out Europe in the singles and finished strong yet again, a final-hole birdie securing a crucial tie in a ding-dong contest with world No 1 Scheffler.
Tommy Fleetwood - 3 points from four matches - 8/10
Fleetwood adds another impressive chapter to his already remarkable Ryder Cup story, claiming the crucial cup-clinching point with his 3&1 singles victory over Rickie Fowler. He and McIlroy made for a formidable foursomes pairing, ending Xander Schauffele and Cantlay's unbeaten run in the format as well as overcoming Thomas and Spieth. His only blemish came in a Saturday afternoon fourballs defeat with Nicolai Hojgaard to standout American pair Max Homa and Harman.
Robert MacIntyre - 2.5 points from three matches - 6/10
MacIntyre can very much reflect on a job well done for his debut Ryder Cup campaign, the 27-year-old going undefeated from his three matches. That said, the Scot leaned heavily on the experience of 43-year-old veteran Justin Rose in their two fourball matches, particularly in their halved clash with Homa and Wyndham Clark. He stepped up down the stretch in Saturday's win over Thomas and Spieth and looked a new man as a result when claiming his singles win to close out Sunday.
Ludvig Åberg - 2 points from four matches - 7/10
The 23-year-old rookie, who only turned professional earlier this year, showed absolutely no signs of debut nerves as he and Hovland romped to both of their foursomes wins, with their record-setting success over Scheffler and Koepka on the Saturday morning the standout moment of the week. Admittedly it did leave him with a tough act to follow and unfortunately he would later card losses in his lone fourballs match and in the singles on Sunday, with Koepka gaining a modicum of revenge. Take nothing away from the young lad, however, with this no doubt just the first of many more Ryder Cup successes to come.
Justin Rose - 1.5 points from three matches - 7/10
The old stager came up clutch on many occasions in his three matches, no more notably than when he became the third European in a row to roll in a long putt at 18 for a half in the Friday afternoon fourballs - a streak that further dented the US spirit following their 4-0 drubbing that morning. Rose expertly guided rookie MacIntyre through his first Ryder Cup and though he was to be edged out by Cantlay in a tense singles tussle, he fully and completely justified his place as a captain's pick over the week.
Shane Lowry - 1.5 points from three matches - 6/10
Lowry was part of Europe's foursomes clean sweep on the Friday morning, winning his match with rookie Sepp Straka against Fowler and Morikawa, though things would not go the pair's way on Saturday as they returned Europe's only loss in the format for the week, going down 4&2 to Homa and Harman. After stepping in during the off-course drama on the Saturday evening, a fired-up Lowry battled back for a half in his singles match with Spieth to find himself placed front and centre of the European celebrations on 18.
Matt Fitzpatrick - 1 point from three matches - 6/10
Fitzpatrick bagged himself his first Ryder Cup point at the sixth time of asking, stretched over two prior Ryder Cup appearances, but sadly with two defeats to boot he still does not appear quite at home yet on this stage. Luke Donald managed him well, deciding that fourballs was a better format for him to thrive, and so it proved as he dominated his and McIlroy's 5&3 win over Morikawa and Schauffele on Friday afternoon. Cantlay and Clark only just got the better of the pair on the Saturday, while Fitzpatrick had the misfortune of facing the red-hot Homa in singles on the Sunday - pushing him all the way before being edged out on the final hole.
Sepp Straka - 1 point from three matches - 6/10
Straka made for an imposing partnership with Lowry on the first morning, in more ways than one, and his golf was just as formidable as the pair won their opening foursomes clash against Fowler and Morikawa. Undone on the Saturday, at one stage on the Sunday it looked like Straka might claim the cup-clinching half point for Europe as he fought back from behind to take Thomas down the 18th until the American ultimately held on for the point.
Nicolai Hojgaard - 0.5 points from three matches - 5/10
At 22 years of age, Hojgaard will have his day again in the Ryder Cup. While his golf certainly matched up at this level, his points haul sadly did not, with only a half from his Friday fourballs partnership with Rahm to show for his week's work. He pushed Schauffele all the way in Sunday's singles before ultimately losing out 3&1.
Max Homa - 3.5 points from five matches - 8/10
Undoubtedly the pick of the bunch from Team USA. The rookie's tally of 3.5 points from his five matches was bettered only by McIlroy's four for Europe - matching also the impressive hauls of Hovland and Hatton. His opening 4&3 defeat to Hovland and Åberg was his only real blip, though Rose and MacIntyre fighting back for a half at 18 in the Friday fourballs was a bit of a sickener. He led the American resurgence on Saturday and then edged a tight singles contest with Fitzpatrick on Sunday that briefly had the US team hopeful.
Patrick Cantlay - 2 points from four matches - 7/10
Cantlay was also placed firmly at the heart of Saturday's action, even if it may not have been intentional. With reports emerging of a rift within the US team that he was supposedly at the heart of - his not wearing of the team hat an apparent protest at not being paid - Cantlay's play over the final two days, under such scrutiny and at the mercy of the teasing European crowds, was exemplary. Along with Clark, he got the better of McIlroy and Fleetwood in a fiery fourballs clash that spilled over into the car park, before edging out Rose in a tense singles affair.
Brian Harman - 2 points from four matches - 6/10
Things did not look great for the rookie when he and Homa were soundly beaten 4&3 by Hovland and Åberg in the Friday morning foursomes, Harman promptly being dropped for the afternoon session. But the Open champion bounced back to show the sort of form that saw him victorious at Royal Liverpool this summer by winning both of his matches with Homa on Saturday - the pair defeating Lowry and Straka 4&2 in foursomes and then taking down Fleetwood and Hojgaard 2&1 in fourballs.
Brooks Koepka - 1.5 points from three matches - 4/10
Koepka, on the face of things, did not perform too badly, losing only one of the three matches he played in. That said, it was a record 9&7 loss in foursomes with Scheffler that the pair will forever be remembered for. They were put together again after having halved their match with Rahm and Hojgaard on the Friday evening, with Koepka subsequently complaining about the Spaniard "acting like a child". It felt like a cheap shot and it certainly failed to light a fire under him or his team the following morning.
Wyndham Clark - 1.5 points from three matches - 5/10
Clark was used sparingly by his captain, playing only twice in fourballs and then buried at 12th in the order for Sunday's singles. He did secure 1.5 points from those matches but, in truth, relied heavily of the form of both Homa and Cantlay in those respective matches before being beaten by MacIntyre in a frankly forgettable clash on the Sunday.
Justin Thomas - 1.5 points from four matches - 6/10
Thomas added a bit of much-needed fire to the US team following the 4-0 drubbing by Europe on the Friday morning. He and Spieth were surprisingly left out, but the pair were picked for the next three sessions, in part due to the spark they provided in the early stages of their first fourballs match against Hovland and Hatton before fading down the stretch to halve the contest. Spieth let him down in two losses on the Saturday before Thomas beat Straka in singles, gaining great pleasure at points in goading the European crowd with a Cantlay-inspired tip of his imaginary cap.
Sam Burns - 1 point from three matches - 6/10
Burns was given a Ryder Cup schooling by Rahm and Hatton as he and Scheffler lost the opening foursomes match 4&3, while the rookie was on a bit of a hiding to nothing against a fired-up McIlroy in the singles on Sunday, but he played some nice golf along the way, no more so than winning his first point with Morikawa in the Saturday fourballs, beating the fearsome European partnership of Hovland and Åberg 4&3.
Scottie Scheffler - 1 point from four matches - 3/10
One of only four winless players over the weekend, three of them American. Not exactly the form required from the current world No 1. Scheffler and Burns were soundly beaten 4&3 by Rahm and Hatton in the opening foursomes match, and though he and Koepka halved a fourballs clash with the Spaniard and Hojgaard later on Friday, the pair contrived to be thumped by a record 9&7 scoreline by Hovland and Åberg on Saturday morning - leaving Scheffler in tears. He battled in the Sunday singles, showing somewhere near his best form to halve his match against Rahm, but a case of too little, too late.
Jordan Spieth - 1 point from four matches - 3/10
Also winless over the week, Spieth was somewhat fortunate to even secure two halves from his four matches as he was relentlessly wayward off the tee. He showed his usual touch with wedge in hand, but Thomas regularly bailed him out of trouble in their three matches as a pair, while his halved singles match with Lowry owed more to the Irishman celebrating his way down 18, with the Ryder Cup already secured, than it did his own form.
Collin Morikawa - 1 point from four matches - 4/10
A week he will want to forget. Morikawa's game deserted him but for a few fleeting moments during a 4&3 beating of Hovland and Åberg when partnered with Burns on the Saturday afternoon. The two-time major champion lost both of his Friday matches when paired with Fowler and Schauffele respectively, while he bookended his week with another heavy defeat, going down 4&3 to Hovland in singles.
Xander Schauffele - 1 point from four matches - 4/10
Schauffele was another to cut a sorry figure throughout, his solitary success for the week coming in a rather inconsequential singles clash against Hojgaard on Sunday, which he won 3&1. He was otherwise beaten twice when paired with Cantlay - the duo's previously unblemished record of five foursomes wins in five from prior Ryder Cup and Presidents Cups coming to an abrupt halt - while he also lost a Friday fourballs match with Morikawa.
Rickie Fowler - 0 points from two matches - 2/10
Blink and you would have missed Fowler's 2023 Ryder Cup. Admittedly, illness appears to have played a part in his struggles but he was part of the USA whitewashed crew on that first morning, losing 2&1 with Morikawa to Lowry and Straka, before he was not to be seen again until coughing up the Ryder Cup-clinching point to Fleetwood in Sunday's singles.
The PGA Tour season continues on Thursday with the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi and the the DP World Tour heads to Scotland for the Alfred Duhill Links Championship, with both events live on Sky Sports.
The next Ryder Cup takes place at Bethpage Black from September 26-28, 2025, while the next home edition will be at Adare Manor in Ireland in 2027.
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