Ryder Cup 2023: Player Ratings; Rory McIlroy 9, Scottie Scheffler 3

With the dust now having settled on Team Europe's 16.5-11.5 victory over Team USA at Marco Simone in Rome, GolfMagic Editor Andy Roberts has dished out player ratings for all 24 players who competed in the 2023 Ryder Cup. 

GolfMagic was on the ground at Marco Simone for the biennial dust-up and got to follow the action up close and personal, even getting inside the ropes access to the world's best players. 

It's fair to say just about every player on Luke Donald's European team impressed, hence some fairly lofty ratings set out below. 

Unfortunately the same cannot be said about Zach Johnson's United States team.

Other than a handful of players, the majority of Team USA's biggest stars flopped badly. 

All of the player ratings below have been given out of a score of 10. 

We have also listed every player's record and total points scored from the week. 

Players are listed based on their record. 

Without further ado let's get into it, starting with the hosts and victors, Team Europe. 

TEAM EUROPE PLAYER RANKINGS

Rory McIlroy - 9/10

• 4-1-0; 4 points

McIlroy was quite simply superb at Marco Simone. It was his greatest Ryder Cup to date. After the disappointment of Whistling Straits where he was reduced to tears for feeling like he had let the European team down, McIlroy responded in Rome by becoming the top combined points scorer for the week with 4 points from a possible five matches. There was of course plenty of controversy at the end of his Saturday Fourballs match with Patrick Cantlay's caddie Joe LaCava, but he used all of that emotion to take care of Sam Burns in the Sunday Singles 3&1. 

Tyrrell Hatton - 9/10

• 3-0-1; 3.5 points

Hatton was back to his very best at this Ryder Cup as he was one of only three players to go unbeaten all week. The fiery Englishman's partnership with an equally fiery Spaniard in Rahm worked magnificently as the duo teamed up to win both of their foursomes matches on Friday and Saturday. Hatton looked in complete control of his game across all four of his matches and was a joy to watch at Marco Simone. Donald may have found Europe's strongest new foursomes partnership in Hatton and Rahm. 

Viktor Hovland - 9/10

• 3-1-1; 3.5 points

Hovland might be ranked fourth in the Official World Golf Rankings, but the FedEx Cup champion is playing the best golf of anyone in the world right now, and that is not even up for debate. The Norwegian ace formed an impressive new partnership with fellow Scandinavian and rookie Ludvig Aberg, as they won both of their foursomes matches with ease, especially on Saturday morning when trouncing World No.1 Scheffler and five-time major champion Koepka by a record foursomes scoreline of 9&7. They did get beat 4&3 by Burns and Morikawa that afternoon, which did take the gloss off things slightly, but Hovland bounced back impressively when taking down Morikawa with a minimum of fuss 4&3. 

Tommy Fleetwood - 9/10

• 3-1-0; 3 points

Fleetwood once again proved his reliability in the Ryder Cup by standing up to the big occasion to hole the winning putt for Europe in his Sunday Singles tussle with Fowler. The Englishman went unbeaten in a new 'Fleetwood Mac' partnership with McIlroy by winning both foursomes matches 2&1. Fleetwood then joined rookie Hojgaard on Saturday afternoon but was beaten rather convincingly it must have been said, 2&1. But despite that disappointing performance in the fourth session, Fleetwood took care of Fowler when it mattered in the penultimate game of the day (3&1) to ensure Europe continued their impressive record of having won every Ryder Cup on home soil dating back now to Valderrama in 1997. We followed Fleetwood for a number of holes in both his practice rounds and competition days, and it's fair to say he is flushing the ball better than ever right now.

Jon Rahm - 9/10

• 2-0-2, 3 points

While we are beginning to sound like a broken record here, Rahm was another European to have his best Ryder Cup to date. The World No.3 was one of only three players to go unbeaten all week by taking 3 points from a possible four. Rahm won both of his foursomes matches alongside Hatton as we have already touched upon, and we can see this pairing certainly being deployed again at Bethpage Black in 2025 and Adare Manor in Ireland in 2027, too. Rahm will have been no doubt disappointed not to have seen off Scheffler in their rollercoaster Sunday Singles match, especially having gone 2up early on, but the Spaniard still earned a gutsy tie in the top game to set Europe on their way.

Robert MacIntyre - 8/10

• 2-0-1, 2.5 points

The big surprise of the week for us here at GolfMagic. We must admit we had our doubts about the form of Bob Mac heading into his debut Ryder Cup, especially missing a cut on the eve of the biennial contest and just generally appearing to be struggling to find any real form. But to the Scot's credit he knuckled down and got on with the job to join Hatton and Rahm as the only three players to go unbeatean during the week. MacIntyre built a fantastic partnership with the experienced Rose to earn a valiant tie against Homa and Clark in the Friday Fourballs before winning 3&2 together in the Saturday Fourballs against Spieth and Thomas. The man from Oban was then sent out in the final match of the Sunday Singles, and while it seemed as though MacIntyre would not need to be called upon a great deal given Europe's five-point lead heading into the final day, that ended up being far from the case as the stars and stripes rallied late in the day. But MacIntyre, who admitted to being 'nervy' when seeing a flood of red at one stage on the board, kept his composure to see off US Open champion Clark 2&1. 

Ludvig Aberg - 8/10

• 2-2-0, 2 points

Where do we start with Aberg? The 23-year-old Swede's rise to the top is on another scale given he was an amateur earlier in the season. To Donald's credit, he saw plenty to get excited about with Aberg months ago, well before he won his maiden DP World Tour title in Switzerland to earn his captain's pick. Many believe had he still not won that tournament then he would have still punched his ticket to Rome. How right Donald was to take him, and we tip our cap to Aberg for proving us and many others wrong this season. Aberg formed a formidable partnership with fellow Scandinavian Hovland, winning both of their foursomes matches with ease, especially on Saturday as already mentioned. Aberg would have easily scored a 9 in this player ranking feature had he not stumbled thereafter though as he was comfortably beaten with Hovland in the Saturday Fourballs and he was taken down 3&2 by Koepka in the Sunday Singles. However, 2 points from a possible four on his Ryder Cup debut marks a very solid performance, and we know it is one Donald takes a significant amount of pride in given the faith he had in the rising PGA Tour star. 

Justin Rose - 8/10 

• 1-1-1, 1.5 points

Rose's experience was vital for this European Ryder Cup team, especially when being sent out with rookie MacIntyre for both of the fourballs sessions. Rose put on a putting clinic during the week with the stats revealing the Englishman performed better than all 23 other players on the greens at Marco Simone. The most important putt Rose struck all week was the eight-footer he curled in on the 18th to ensure a tied match on Friday. Rose buried the putt and gave it large to Donald and the rest of the team behind the green. Rose was defeated by Cantlay in the Sunday Singles, but that was more of a case of running into an American who just got hot on the weekend. Nevertheless, 1.5 points from three marked a more than successful week for Rose. You would have to feel with Rose being 45 in two years' time, we may have just seen him in his last Ryder Cup, but let's see. It would be nice to think there is still one more in the tank for the former US Open champion before he gets considered for a European Ryder Cup captaincy in the future. 

Shane Lowry - 7/10 

• 1-1-1, 1.5 points

Lowry might not have had his best stuff out there at Marco Simone but it was more than enough to take care of the Ryder Cup on Sunday. Lowry battled hard to overturn a deficit on Spieth on the front nine to crucially move 1up with one hole to play at a time when Fleetwood was holing out to win the Ryder Cup. The Irishman's passion over all three days summed up his love and admiration for the Ryder Cup, and it was great to see. Lowry did eventually lose the 18th hole to Spieth to see the match end up in a tie, but it mattered little in the grand scheme of things as Lowry had done his job to block out a red point going up on the board. Lowry played alongside rookie Straka in both of the foursomes sessions and won 2&1 on the Friday before losing 4&2 on the Saturday. Lowry's game is currently way off where it was when he won the 2019 Open but he is fighting back and you would not rule him out competing in a third consecutive European Ryder Cup team at the age of 38 in 2025, and how he would love Ireland in 2027. 

Matt Fitzpatrick - 6/10

• 1-2-0, 1 point

Fitzpatrick was arguably the biggest disappointment in the European Ryder Cup team, largely because we were all just expecting a bit more out of him. Fitzpatrick spoke to GolfMagic on the eve of the biennial dust-up and he told us he was determined to improve on his dismal Ryder Cup record in his past two appearances that saw him 0-5-0. While Fitzpatrick did earn his first ever Ryder Cup point in Rome with an impressive 5&3 victory alongside McIlroy in the Friday Fourballs against Morikawa and Schauffele, it's fair to say Fitzpatrick's weekend was something of a damp squib as he lost alongside McIlroy in the Saturday Fourballs 1 down to Cantlay and Clark and then lost his Sunday Singles match to Homa by the same scoreline. Fitzpatrick's Ryder Cup record now stands 1-7-0. 

Sepp Straka - 6/10

• 1-2-0, 1 point

Straka's week was something of what might have been. We followed him on a number of holes and we thought he was actually playing some real solid stuff out there. But when it all added up he only took 1 point from a possible three. Straka raced out the blocks with a gusty 2&1 victory alongside Lowry in the Friday Foursomes but he then went on to lose in the Saturday Foursomes with the Irishman 4&2. Straka could have won the Ryder Cup for Europe had he won the 18th hole in his match against Thomas, but he eventually lost the hole to lose the match by 2 holes. It will be interesting to see if Straka makes the next team if truth be told, but this will certainly have got the juices flowing for him as he continues his rise on the PGA Tour.

Nicolai Hojgaard - 5/10

0-2-1, 0.5 point

Hojgaard was the only European to not earn a full point at Marco Simone. If truth be told, the 22-year-old Dane should not have been in this European Ryder Cup team. Adrian Meronk deserved the call a lot more than Hojgaard in our view, especially having won the Italian Open at the same golf course earlier this season. While Hojgaard did perform admirably on the front nine of his Friday Fourballs match alongside Rahm in their tussle with Scheffler and Koepka, it was the Spaniard who saved them coming home when making two eagles on the final three holes to salvage a tie. Hojgaard then looked somewhat out of sorts in his match alongside Fleetwood in the Saturday Fourballs, finding the penalty area a couple of times, and they lost 2&1 to Homa and Harman. Hojgaard then faced Schauffele in the Sunday Singles, and while he did move 2up after three holes, he was quickly brushed aside 3&2. Hojgaard's Ryder Cup debut will all prove a learning curve, but Donald made the wrong call to take him in our view. We think his debut would have been best saved for Bethpage Black in 2025 or Adare Manor in 2027, and potentially a partnership alongside his twin brother Rasmus. 

TEAM USA PLAYER RANKINGS

Max Homa - 8/10

• 3-1-1, 3.5 points

Without question, the only American star who turned up like we know he can. Homa, who who was making his US Ryder Cup team debut, shone bright with 3.5 points. Okay, he was the only American to be out in all five matches, but he still produced the goods during a difficult week for the visitors, who still have not won a Ryder Cup on European soil since 1993. Homa did lose his Friday Foursomes match alongside Harman 4&3 to Hovland and Aberg, but he bounced back thereafter by taking a tie with Clark against MacIntyre and Rose before reeling off three straight wins to the line. Homa joined Harman once more but this time won 4&2 against Straka and Lowry in the Saturday Foursomes, and again in the Saturday Fourballs with a 2&1 victory over Fleetwood and Hojgaard. Homa then took care of Fitzpatrick 1up in the Sunday Singles where he took a penalty drop on 18 after an unplayable shot in the rough, and he duly went on to make par and still tie the hole to win the match. Homa was the biggest highlight for Team USA. 

Brian Harman - 6/10

• 2-2-0, 2 points

Harman played well on his Ryder Cup debut but he could certainly thank his lucky stars he was out there with Homa, who as we say, was the one bright spark for Team USA. Harman took 2 points from a possible four but won both of his points alongside Homa. He was defeated comfortably by Hatton in the Sunday Singles 3&2. We would go as far to say it was an average week for the Open champion, but he certainly wasn't one of the worst performers. Far from it. 

Patrick Cantlay - 7/10

• 2-2-0, 2 points

It was a Ryder Cup that started slowly for Cantlay, who then quickly rattled through the gears to hit form on the weekend. Cantlay was defeated for the first time in foursomes alongside his good pal Schauffele on Friday when being outfperformed 2&1 by McIlroy and Fleetwood. He was then dropped for the afternoon session. He returned to once again lose his foursomes match with Schauffele 2&1 to Rahm and Hatton, but then he seemingly found something in the Saturday Fourballs. Cantlay was sent out with Clark and he played some tremendous golf out there. He was peppering pins and just looked to have complete control of his ball. He was essentially taking control of the match as he took it to McIlroy and Fitzpatrick. Team USA was 1 down with two holes to play, but Cantlay then went and birdied both 17 and 18 to single-handedly win the match. Things then all kicked off between Cantlay's caddie Joe LaCava and McIlroy. After the dust settled on that dispute, Cantlay returned to the course on Sunday and took down Rose in the Singles 2&1. Cantlay at least showed some fight on the weekend unlike a few others. 

Brooks Koepka - 5/10

• 1-1-1, 1.5 points

It was a week that seemingly didn't really get going for Koepka, who was the only LIV Golf League player to compete in the Ryder Cup. Koepka was dropped for the opening session but he was sent out in the afternoon where he battled hard for a tie alongside Scheffler against Rahm and Hojgaard. Had it not been for the exploits of Rahm on the back nine in that match then Koepka would have easily notched a point. Koepka and Scheffler were then utterly embarrassed by Hovland and Aberg with a record 9&7 defeat in the Saturday Foursomes. Koepka and Scheffler started double bogey, bogey, double bogey in that match, as one bad shot seemingly led to another before the bell rang at the 11th hole. Koepka was then dropped for the afternoon session but he bounced back to take down Aberg in the Sunday Singles 3&2. There was some good in there for Koepka, especially on Sunday, but also a lot of bad. Given his major pedigree, Koepka's overall performance has to be considered fairly poor. 

Justin Thomas - 6/10

• 1-2-1, 1.5 points

Thomas received plenty of criticism for his pick in the team but if truth be told he showed glimpses of his Ryder Cup best out there. In similar fashion to Koepka above, there was some good in there, especially earning half a point in the Friday Fourballs alongside Spieth in a brilliant match against Hatton and Hovland. Saturday, however, was something of a write-off for Thomas who lost both of his matches with Spieth. If truth be told, it was Spieth who was contributing most to their downfall. Thomas did bounce back to defeat Straka in the Sunday Singles 2up, but 1.5 points from a possible four was likely not what captain Johnson was banking on. Thomas' game is still way off where it once was as a former World No.1, but there are signs his game is on the way back now. 

Wyndham Clark - 4/10

• 1-1-1, 1.5 points

For someone who said they were better than McIlroy at the start of the week, it must have been a rude awakening for the US Open champion and Ryder Cup debutant when he was defeated by World No.55 MacIntyre in the Sunday Singles 2&1. Clark's only winning point of the week came alongside Cantlay in their Saturday Fourballs match against McIlroy and Fitzpatrick, but there is no question Cantlay saved his blushes on that one. He also earned half a point with Homa in the Friday Fourballs against Rose and MacIntyre. It all added up to 1.5 points from three matches, but he heavily relied on Homa and Cantlay to get anything out the week. 

Sam Burns - 4/10

• 1-2-0, 1 point

Burns was another controversial pick in the Ryder Cup team, with many feeling he was only selected due to his partnership with Scheffler. That was very quickly put under the microscope when they teamed up to lose the very first Friday Foursomes match 4&3 to Rahm and Hatton. Burns was then dropped for the next two sessions but bounced back alongside Morikawa in the Saturday Fourballs with a convincing 4&3 win over Hovland and Aberg. Unfortunately for Burns, he ran into a fired-up McIlroy in the Sunday Singles and lost comfortably 3&1. The performance on Saturday afternoon was solid from Burns, who tried his best to ruffle some European feathers by cupping his ears to the fans after holing a couple of birdies putts. We are not sure which was worse... his overall performance or new haircut? 

Collin Morikawa - 3/10

• 1-3-0, 1 point

Morikawa's game just looks way off where it once was when he was etching his name on a second major title at the 2021 Open Championship. Morikawa played in four matches but took just one point with his 4&3 Saturday Fourballs victory alongside Burns as we just touched upon. The rest of Morikawa's week was awful with all due respect with a 2&1 loss alongside Fowler in the Friday Foursomes followed by a devastating 5&3 loss with Schauffele against McIlroy and Fitzpatrick. He made amends with Burns on Saturday as we say but was then well beaten again 4&3 by an in-form Hovland. Morikawa did little to convince Johnson he was worthy of one of the six captain's picks in all honesty. 

Jordan Spieth - 3/10

• 0-2-2, 1 point

As we have already touched upon in our report card for Thomas, it was the lack of form of Spieth that really scuppered this partnership. Spieth was one of only three players to not earn a win in Team USA. Spieth did not play in the opening session but then he played in the remaining four matches, taking just two halves. Those came with ties alongside Thomas in their Friday Fourballs match against Hovland and Hatton and his Sunday Singles match against Lowry, albeit the Ryder Cup was already over by the time Spieth won the 18th. Spieth suffered a 2&1 loss in the Saturday Foursomes alongside Thomas and then again 3&2 in the Saturday Fourballs to MacIntyre and Rose. Perhaps you could excuse Spieth's mind being elsewhere during the week given his wife Annie has just given birth to their second child, but if that was the case then you have to question why an out-of-form Spieth was even playing four matches in the first place? 

Scottie Scheffler - 3/10

• 0-2-2, 1 point

I mean where do you start on Scheffler's week?! The World No.1 did not take a single full point from four matches just like Spieth. The week started badly for Schefler with a 4&3 Friday Foursomes loss alongside Burns against Hatton and Rahm. Scheffler then earned half a point with Koepka in their tussle with Rahm and Hojgaard. Then disaster struck for him in the Saturday Foursomes as he and Koepka were defeated by a record scoreline of 9&7 to Hovland and Aberg. It reduced Scheffler to tears, and he was then dropped for the afternoon session. Scheffler was then sent out in the top match in the Sunday Singles against Rahm, and to be fair it was a fantastic match to watch. It had all the ebbs and flows of a top game on the final day of a Ryder Cup. Rahm led, Scheffler pegged it back, then led himself, then was pegged back for a tie on the 18th. Scheffler probably should have won that match down the 18th but he misjudged his third shot and went just over the back of the green. Had it not been for that Sunday performance, Scheffler would have likely got 1/10 for his week. You could argue it was a rare off-week for Scheffler, who despite working with new putting coach Phil Kenyon in recent weeks, still looks a shadow of his former self on the greens. 

Xander Schauffele - 3/10

• 1-3-0, 1 point

Schauffele was one of the most disappointing performers in Team USA, especially given so much was expected of his partnership with Cantlay in the foursomes. Having never been beaten together in that format, Schauffele and Cantlay lost both sessions this time around. Schauffele was also heavily defeated 5&3 alongside Morikawa against McIlroy and Fitzpatrick in the Friday Fourballs. He did win his Sunday Singles match but was largely fortunate to come up against Europe's weakest peformer in Hojgaard. A really lacklustre week for Schauffele.