The 45th Ryder Cup is now in the books, with golf fans around the world recovering from an epic Sunday of singles action in the sport's ultimate team event.
It's now clear why the bookmakers were finding it hard to pick a clear betting favourite going into the action. Europe were dominant in the team formats but USA so nearly provided a sting in the tale.
Who won the Ryder Cup?
Team Europe retained the Ryder Cup for a second-straight event despite a stunning USA fightback.
The Europeans entered Sunday up seven points and needing just 2.5 points to retain the cup (three to win). However, the Americans pushed back, staying alive through the first seven matches and making the final four matter.
In the end, Irishman Shane Lowry came back from down a few holes to Russell Henley, forcing a tied match to secure the winning half-point. Tyrell Hatton then secured a halve to win the cup outright, while Bob MacIntyre followed suit to bring the final score to 15-13 in Europe's favour.
What is the Ryder Cup?
The Ryder Cup is a team event between Europe and the USA, which involves various matchplay competitions between players selected from teams of 12.
On the first two days (Friday and Saturday), there are 4x foursome matches and 4x fourball matches on each. A foursome sees the two players on each team take alternate shots on each hole, with the lowest score winning a point per hole.
A fourball is a match between two teams of two players, where the team with the lower combined score wins, while a foursome sees the two players on each team take alternate shots on each hole, with the lowest score winning a point per hole.
For each match type, the team with the most points after 18 holes is the winner.
On the final day (Sunday), all 12 players play in singles matches, which always goes a long way to deciding who will lift the famous gold trophy.
When were the 2025 Ryder Cup teams announced?
Each team has six automatic qualifiers based on Ryder Cup points, and a further six players known as captain's picks.
On the American side, six automatic berths were locked in after the BMW Championship wrapped up on August 17. Those spots went to Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, J.J. Spaun, Russell Henley, Harris English, and Bryson DeChambeau.
U.S. skipper Keegan Bradley then had the task of filling out the roster, opting for a mix of proven stars and rising talent. His captain’s picks were Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns.
Team captain Bradley made his six captain's picks on August 27th.
Across the pond, Europe’s six automatic qualifiers were determined after the Betfred British Masters on August 24 - Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Rasmus Højgaard, and Tyrrell Hatton.
Captain Luke Donald finalised his side by naming his six wildcard picks on September 1st. His number one pick was 2019 Open Champion Shane Lowry, joined by two-time major champion Jon Rahm.
Pick number three was dual 2025 PGA Tour winner Sepp Straka, while fourth up was Viktor Hovland - the winner of 3.5 points in Rome two years ago.
Ludvig Åberg returns to the team having been just three months into his professional career on debut at Marco Simone. The team was completed by Donald's final captain's pick, 2022 US Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick.
MORE: How to bet on golf ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup
When is the 2027 Ryder Cup?
The 2027 Ryder Cup takes place on the weekend of September 17-19 at Adare Manor in County Limerick, Ireland.
The event will start on Friday with the fourballs and foursomes and end with 12 single matches on Sunday, when the winning team will be crowned.
Who has won most Ryder Cups? USA vs. Europe head to head record
The USA still has the upper hand when it comes to overall Ryder Cup wins, with 27 wins from the 45 events from 1927 to 2023.
However, they competed solely against Great Britain in 19 of the first 22 Ryder Cups, and then against Great Britain and Ireland in the subsequent three. The record from 1927 to 1977 stood at 18 US wins, three British/Britain and Ireland wins, and a tie in 1969.
The US dominance of the event saw the expansion to a full European team in 1979, and has resulted in a stunning reversal of fortunes. Of the 23 events since, Europe has emerged victorious on 13 occasions, the US on nine occasions, with a tie in 1989.
| Team | From | To | Matches | Wins | Losses | Ties |
| United States | 1927 | 2023 | 45 | 27 | 16 | 2 |
| Great Britain/Great Britain & Ireland | 1927 | 1977 | 22 | 3 | 18 | 1 |
| Europe | 1979 | 2023 | 23 | 13 | 9 | 1 |