The Ryder Cup teams are complete for Whistling Straits. Here we take a look at the line-ups.
Ryder Cup Teams 2021 – Whistling Straits
After being delayed a year, due to Covid, the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits is finally upon us.
Being held at the three time PGA Championship venue in Wisconsin, the Ryder Cup will take place between the 24-26th of September.
Both sides feature 12 players after Padraig Harrington selected his final wildcard picks after a dramatic BMW PGA Championship.
Harrington named Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Ryder Cup debutant, Shane Lowry, as his three wildcards, with Justin Rose missing out on a pick.
American captain, Steve Stricker, had six wildcards to choose, with Patrick Reed the biggest name to miss out despite his record over the last few Ryder Cups.
Here are how the teams are looking…
Ryder Cup Teams – Europe
European Points List
The world number one has been in imperious form this year, claiming an unbelievable 15 top-10’s in only 22 PGA Tour starts.
Becoming the first Spaniard to win the US Open in June 2021, Rahm made his Ryder Cup debut in 2018 at Le Golf National, playing a pivotal role in the Sunday singles, defeating Tiger Woods 2&1.
Rahm will play a key role at Whistling Straits. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
Like Rahm, Hatton is making his second appearance at the Ryder Cup, with his record at Le Golf National being one win and two losses.
During the 2020/21 season, Hatton earned four top-10 finishes, including a runner-up finish at the Palmetto Championship.
Fleetwood made history at Le Golf National where, alongside Francesco Molinari, the duo claimed four out of four points in the foursomes and fourballs, becoming the first European pair to do so.
Although he lost comfortably in the singles to Tony Finau, Fleetwood left a huge impression on the European team.
Wiesberger will make history by becoming the first Austrian to play in the Ryder Cup, claiming the last spot on a thrilling final day at Wentworth.
He has enjoyed a good season on the European Tour, defending his Denmark title.
World Points List
Featuring in his sixth Ryder Cup, McIlroy has been on the winning side four of five times, with a record of 11 wins, nine losses and four halves.
The 32-year-old has had some good results in 2021, claiming the Wells Fargo Championship for a third time in his career.
McIlroy will be looking for his fifth Ryder Cup win. (Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
After making his first Ryder Cup appearance in 10 years at Le Golf National, Casey will be featuring in his fifth Ryder Cup, with his first dating all the way back to 2004 at Oakland Hills.
Bringing a wealth of experience to the team, the Englishman claimed 1.5 points from three matches in 2018.
Like Wiesberger, Hovland will be making history by becoming the first Norwegian to play in a Ryder Cup. Not only that, but the 24-year-old was also the first player from Norway to win a PGA and European Tour event.
When he was an amateur, Hovland did win the US Amateur, trailing only one hole in six rounds of matchplay!
Fitzpatrick will be returning to the Ryder Cup for a second time after being on the losing side in 2o16.
Featuring at Hazletine in 2016, the Englishman did lose both his matches. However, Fitzpatrick has had a number of good results over 2021.
Westwood will make history at Whistling Straits as he will equal Sir Nick Faldo’s record for the most Ryder Cup appearances for Team Europe when he features for the 11th time.
During that time, Westwood has been formidable in the Ryder Cup, going undefeated in 2004 and 06, with 20 wins, 18 losses and six draws providing a wealth of experience for the Europeans.
Wildcard Picks
From one Ryder Cup legend to another, Europe’s all-time leading points scorer, Sergio Garcia, will be making his 10th appearance at Whistling Straits.
With 25.5 points under his belt, Garcia has a stunning record especially in the fourballs and foursomes where he has accumulated 21 of his 25.5 points.
Garcia defeated Rickie Fowler to break the record. (Credit -LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP via Getty Images)
‘The Postman’ has been so crucial for Europe’s Ryder Cup teams down the years and is back again for his seventh appearance at the Ryder Cup.
Being a wildcard pick for the second year in a row, Poulter has been in decent form this year, with a number of top-10’s over the last few months.
Lowry will be the third European debutant at Whistling Straits. He has produced some very good golf over the last few months, including victory at The Open Championship in 2o19.
The Irishman’s game should suit the Whistling Straits layout, with his ability to perform on the big stage a firm positive going into the Ryder Cup.
Ryder Cup Teams – USA
Points List
Koepka had an injury scare at the Tour Championship when he withdrew due to a wrist injury. However, the four time Major champion has announced he will be featuring at Whistling Straits.
In 2018, he picked up 1.5 points out of 4. Koepka is only one of four Americans with a winning career match record in the Ryder Cup.
Johnson has had a very mixed season by his standards but has shown some form towards the tail-end of the season, with four top-10’s in six starts.
Making his fifth Ryder Cup appearance, Johnson has seven wins and nine losses to his name, but he does have a very good singles record, something that could prove effective on Sunday.
Morikawa topped the ranking points list thanks to winning The Open Championship and PGA Championship in the last 18 months.
The American will be making his Ryder Cup debut at Whistling Straits, with the setup suiting his laser-like iron play.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 04: Collin Morikawa will be making his Ryder Cup debut. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
The Players Champion makes his second appearance at the Ryder Cup, with his impressive debut at Le Golf National yielding 4 points out of 5.
In the singles, Thomas defeated his good friend, McIlroy, on the last. At Whistling Straits, he will be looking to build upon his impressive debut in Paris.
The big hitting American will be making his second Ryder Cup appearance, looking to improve on his record in 2018 (three losses, no wins or halves).
DeChambeau may be featuring at the Ryder Cup, but he has announced recently that he will be competing in the World Long Drive Championship the next day, with the American revealing his hands are “wrecked” from practicing.
Making his Ryder Cup debut is recent FedEx Cup winner, Patrick Cantlay, whose nerve and bottle over the last few weeks could give an insight into what lies ahead for the Europeans.
Claiming two of his victories in 2021 via a playoff, Cantlay could be a dark horse in the event, with his ice cold putting a huge factor in his performances.
Cantlay has been recently voted PGA Tour Player of the Year. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
Wildcard Picks
Spieth has found the form that reminded us of his Major winning years, with victory at the Valero Texas Open his first since the 2017 Open Championship.
Featuring in his fourth Ryder Cup, he has seven wins, five losses and two halves, with five of his wins coming in the foursomes.
For the first time in five years, Tony Finau finally claimed his second PGA Tour title. After accumulating 40 top-10’s since his last victory, Finau managed to defeat Cameron Smith at the first playoff hole at the Northern Trust.
Making his Ryder Cup debut in 2018, he managed two wins and one loss, with his 6&4 singles victory over Tommy Fleetwood the largest margin of victory on the day.
Berger will be making his debut at the Ryder Cup after finding some superb form since returning from lockdown in June 2020.
He does have some experience of team golf, being a member of the victorious 2017 United States Presidents Cup team.
English has won twice in 2021, including a mammoth eight hole playoff against Kramer Hickok at the Travelers Championship in late June.
He will be making his debut at the Ryder Cup, 10 years after his one and only Walker Cup appearance in 2011.
English will be making his debut. (Photo by Austin McAfee/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Scottie Scheffler is yet to win on the PGA Tour, but has had a number of close calls, including a runner-up finish at the WGC-Matchplay.
With eight top-10 finishes under his belt this season, Scheffler will be among the six rookies making their debut at Whistling Straits.
The final player is the Olympic gold medallist, Xander Schauffele, who has been knocking on the door of a Ryder Cup place for a few years now.
Schauffele has made an appearance at the Presidents Cup, where he was undefeated in the foursomes alongside Cantlay.
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