There have been some standout players in the history of the Ryder Cup and we have picked out our top 10 who have featured in the biennial men's competition.
The Ryder Cup is the pinnacle team event in the world of golf and there have been a number of players who have enhanced their reputations by playing in the competition.
Europe will be defending the trophy they won back from the USA at Marco Simone Golf Club in 2023 when they head to Bethpage Black in New York in September this year.
Ahead of the 45th edition of the Ryder Cup, we have delved into the archives and picked out our top 10 players who have been part of this prestigious event.
Before we get started, a notable mention goes to Tom Kite, who just missed out on this list. The American never lost a singles match, taking six points from his seven matches, while he was also a winning captain in 1997.
Ranking the best Ryder Cup players of all time
10. Ian Poulter (Europe)
While failing to make a Major breakthrough in his career, Ian Poulter is undoubtedly a Ryder Cup legend and gained the nickname the ‘Postman’ in 2010, after he thrashed Matt Kuchar 5&4 in the singles after promising to “deliver a point”.
The Englishman has played seven singles matches in total at the Ryder Cup, winning six of those and halving one, while of the seven editions he has featured in, team Europe have come out on top five times.
If you need a point delivered on Sunday, then Poulter is your man.
9. Jack Nicklaus (USA)
Not content with being the all-time Major leader with 18, Jack Nicklaus was also one of the best when it came to the Ryder Cup, winning five of his six appearances with team USA and tying the other.
The American boasted a win-loss-halve tally of 17-8-3, with his foursomes record 8-1-0, his fourball 5-3-1 and his singles 4-4-2. A combined total of 18.5 and a 66.07 win percentage.
Nicklaus was also pivotal in the introduction of continental European players to the competition in 1979. During the 1977 edition, he approached the PGA of Great Britain about the urgency to improve the competitive level of the contest.
8. Arnold Palmer (USA)
Arnold Palmer never ended up on the losing side for the USA in the Ryder Cup, winning all six editions he played in, including in 1963 when he was a playing captain.
The American legend collected 23 points in total from his 32 matches, leaving him second in the USA’s all-time rankings, while he also captained his country to victory in 1975.
7. Lee Trevino (USA)
Lee Trevino was another player to compete in six Ryder Cups and he also never tasted defeat, with a tie in 1969 followed by five victories in 1971, 1973, 1975, 1979 and 1981, while he also skippered the USA to glory in 1985.
The six-time Major winner contributed 20 points from his 30 matches, boasting a record of 17-7-6, with only four American players collecting more points.
6. Nick Faldo (Europe)
One of five players to hit a hole-in-one at the Ryder Cup and the second to do so after Peter Butler in 1973, Nick Faldo was a cornerstone of Great Britain and European team from 1977 to 1997, with his points return of 25 leaving him second in the all-time list.
Playing 46 matches across 11 Ryder Cups, the Englishman, who recorded his ace at The Belfry in 1993, had an overall record of 23-19-4 and won four Ryder Cups and tied another.
5. Jose Maria Olazabal (Europe)
Jose Maria Olazabal appeared in the first of seven Ryder Cups in 1987 and he was one half of the famous ‘Spanish Armada’ pairing alongside Seve Ballesteros.
Paired together a record 15 times, the two Spaniards won 12 matches together. Olazabal was the dream partner, evidenced by the fact he lost just four of his 16 fourballs/foursomes.
Delivering 20.5 points in total, Olazabal was also the captain when Europe completed an historic comeback in 2012 when coming from 10-6 down after day two to win 14.5-13.5, famously known as the ‘Miracle at Medinah’.
4. Colin Montgomerie (Europe)
Seen as one of the best players to never win a Major, Colin Montgomerie was a different beast when it came to the Ryder Cup, often leading his team out and setting the tone.
Featuring in eight Ryder Cups, the Scot was part of the winning side five times, contributing 23.5 points from his 36 matches and remaining unbeaten in singles with six wins and two halves.
Montgomerie halved the last hole with Scott Hoch to obtain the half-point that won Europe the Cup in 1997, while he sank the winning putt in 2004 at Oakland Hills Country Club.
3. Seve Ballesteros (Europe)
The other half of the ‘Spanish Armada’, Seve Ballesteros played in the first Ryder Cup that continental European players were allowed to compete in, in 1979, and he was a player you wanted on your team.
His fiery attitude and scintillating golf made him a constant thorn in the USA’s side, with the Spaniard delivering 22.5 points from 37 matches across eight Ryder Cups.
Ballesteros also captained Europe to victory in the 1997 event at Valderrama Golf Club, a quite fitting end to his association with the Ryder Cup to claim the win on home soil.
2. Billy Casper (USA)
The USA’s all-time record point scorer is Billy Casper, who collected 23.5 in total from 37 matches and ended up on the winning side in all eight Ryder Cups he played in.
Casper, who boasted a record of 20-10-7, also skipped his country to glory in 1979 with a 17-11 triumph at The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs.
1. Sergio Garcia (Europe)
While his reputation has suffered a little since making the switch to the LIV circuit, Sergio Garcia’s Ryder Cup record can’t be ignored and he is the greatest player in the history of the competition.
The Spaniard has won the most points of any player, 28.5 in total from 45 matches across 10 editions, and he has made it clear he wants to be part of Europe this year.
Garcia holds the record for the youngest player to feature in the Ryder Cup, at 19 years, 258 days in 1999, when he delivered 3.5 points on debut in a highly charged atmosphere at Brookline, Massachusetts.
The 45-year-old has helped win the Ryder Cup six times and a big part of this was the partnership he forged with Lee Westwood, with the pair winning five of the seven matches they played together.
