9 bubble players left off 2025 European Ryder Cup team

Matt Wallace said little. Just 16 words in all. But his thoughts were unmistakable. 

Moments after he had finished play on Sunday at the Omega European Masters, he’d been asked about the Ryder Cup, then he broke down. 

After 35 seconds, he answered. 

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“I’ll never give up on the Ryder Cup, you know,” he said. 

“I just won’t, so that’s it.”

On Monday, what Wallace likely already knew then was confirmed, as Luke Donald named Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick as his six allotted captain’s picks for the European team. Still, when asked about Wallace and other snubs, Donald acknowledged on Sky Sports that he had seen Wallace’s interview.

“Obviously an extremely difficult call to make to Matt,” Donald said. “Obviously watched all the golf yesterday, saw his emotion. It just shows what it means to Europeans to represent your country, to represent your flag, to represent that crest. 

“It’s so sad. It’s a difficult part of the job to call these people that have played their hearts out for 12 months and think they’ve done enough. And I really hope that some of those near-misses will be part of the team in two years’ time.”

With that, here is a look at nine bubble players left off the European Ryder Cup team.   

Ryder Cup snubs: 9 bubble players left off 2025 European Ryder Cup team

Matt Wallace 

Rank in the final European Ryder Cup team standings: 12th 

Why he is considered a snub: Wallace is the highest-ranked player in the European Ryder Cup team standings to be left off the team. His enthusiasm for the Ryder Cup was clear on Sunday after he broke down when asked about the biennial event. 

Why he was left off the team: Wallace has not won this year on either the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour, and he’s never played on a Ryder Cup team. He’s also ranked 115th this season on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. 

Thomas Detry 

Rank in the final European Ryder Cup team standings: 13th

Why he is considered a snub: Detry won the WM Phoenix Open. He also posted five other top 25 finishes this season on the PGA Tour. 

Why he was left off the team: All of Detry’s top 25 finishes came before the U.S. Open, and he’s never played on a Ryder Cup team. He’s also ranked 99th this season on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Total, 111th in SG: Tee to Green, 123rd in SG: Approach the Green, and 110th in SG: Around the Green.

Marco Penge 

Rank in the final European Ryder Cup team standings: 14th 

Why he is considered a snub: He’s won twice this year on the DP World Tour, and he finished second at the Genesis Scottish Open. He’s also ranked eighth this year on the tour in driving distance. 

Why he was left off the team: Inexperience. The wins were the first of his career on the DP World Tour, and he’s played in just four major championships. 

European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald finalizes roster with 6 captain’s picks

By:

Jessica Marksbury

Aaron Rai 

Rank in the final European Ryder Cup team standings: 15th 

Why he is considered a snub: He’s posted 10 top 25 finishes this year on the PGA Tour. He also won last year’s Wyndham Championship. 

Why he was left off the team: Rai has not won this year, and he’s never played on a Ryder Cup team. He’s also ranked 120th this season on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting. 

Jordan Smith 

Rank in the final European Ryder Cup team standings: 16th

Why he is considered a snub: Smith made the cut in the two majors he played in this year. He’s also posted two runner-up finishes this season on the DP World Tour 

Why he was left off the team: Smith hasn’t won since 2022. He also has never played on a Ryder Cup team. 

Harry Hall 

Rank in the final European Ryder Cup team standings: 17th 

Why he is considered a snub: Hall posted 15 top 25 finishes this season on the PGA Tour, and he qualified for the Tour Championship. He has not missed a cut since the Players Championship. He’s also ranked fifth this year on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Total, and second in SG: Putting.

Why he was left off the team: Inexperience — Hall has never played on a Ryder Cup team. He’s also ranked 112th in SG: Off the Tee, and 101st in SG: Approach the Green. 

Nicolai Hojgaard 

Rank in the final European Ryder Cup team standings: 18th 

Why he is considered a snub: Hojgaard was a member of the team two years ago, and his brother, Rasmus, is on this year’s team. He also tied for second two weeks ago at the Betfred British Masters, and the Hojgaard brothers were runners-up at the Zurich Classic, the PGA Tour’s lone team event. 

Why he was left off the team: He hasn’t won since 2023. He’s also ranked 146th this season on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Around the Green. 

Alex Noren 

Rank in the final European Ryder Cup team standings: 26th 

Why he is considered a snub: Noren is the highest-ranked player in the Official World Golf Rankings to be left off the team, and he played on the 2018 team. He also won the Betfred British Masters two weeks ago, and he played in the final pairing at this year’s PGA Championship. 

Why he was left off the team: Noren lost strokes this year on the PGA Tour in Off the Tee and Approach the Green. He’s also never won on the PGA Tour. 

Sergio Garcia 

Rank in the final European Ryder Cup team standings: 140th

Why he is considered a snub: Garcia is the all-time points leader in Ryder Cup history. He also won this year’s LIV Golf Hong Kong event. 

Why he was left off the team: Garcia’s best finish in three major appearances this year was a tie for 34th at the Open Championship. Over his last eight LIV Golf starts, he posted one top 10. 

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