Team Europe announces new qualification criteria for 2025 Ryder Cup spots
The 2025 Ryder Cup will look different for a lot of reasons, one of which is the new criteria for Team Europe. They have officially changed the qualification methods, reducing the options for players to earn Ryder Cup points and thus make it onto the team without having to be a captain's selection.
The three events that can grant points are Majors, DP World Tour events, and PGA Tour events. Previously, Team Europe had granted points from Race to Dubai Rankings and OWGR ranks. Those will no longer count.
Unsurprisingly, they're still not awarding points for LIV Golf events. Given that one of their top players (Jon Rahm) is now firmly entrenched with the rebel tour, there was a chance they might consider ways to get LIV players on board, but that won't be through ranking points.
Since Rahm can at most play four Majors and possibly a handful of other qualifying events, the primary method for LIV players to get onto the team will be by captain's selection. That hasn't changed, as there will still be six picks.
Last year, there were no LIV Golf members among the team that consisted of Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Aberg, Robert MacIntyre, Yannik Paul, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, and others.
Team Europe star Rory McIlroy compares Olympics to Ryder Cup
Team Europe star Rory McIlroy is a huge advocate for the Ryder Cup. He believes it's a very important part of golf. The ability to play for one's country or region is exciting. The Olympics offer a similar ability, though not in a team-based format.
McIlroy, who finished fifth in Paris, said via ESPN that the Olympics could be right up there with the Ryder Cup someday:
"With how much of a s--- show the game of golf is right now, you think of tournaments that might be the purest form of competition of the sport, not playing for money. So it speaks volumes for what is important in sport."
The golfer further said that the environment in Paris was incredible. The French crowd cheered on local hope Victor Perez mightily, and McIlroy took notice:
"We don't get that any other place that we play, maybe apart from the Ryder Cup. So I just loved the incredible atmosphere and environment to play in."
He believes the stroke play is good for the Olympics, but is also open to expanding the competition to a potential two-day, team-based competition and having everyone play for six days rather than four.
McIlroy came up just short of medaling, partly due to an unfortunate shot into the water on the 15th hole. He also lost a seven-man playoff for bronze in 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics.