Ryder Cup Qualification Shakeup Respects PGA Tour, Not LIV Golf

The European Ryder Cup team has altered its selection process for the 2025 competition. The updated qualification system will place more emphasis on PGA Tour performance than before, while LIV Golf results will remain unrecognized.

The 2025 Ryder Cup will take place from September 26-28 at Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, New York. In 2023, Team Europe, helmed by returning captain Luke Donald, stomped on the heavily-favored Americans at Marco Simone in Rome.

The Ryder Cup news cycle has been busy for the United States, too. In July, the PGA of America stunned the golf world by announcing PGA Tour veteran Keegan Bradley as Team USA’s captain for 2025. Tiger Woods backed out due to off-course obligations. Bradley said he would be open to Tiger (as assistant captain) and LIV players coming aboard.

Here’s what to know on the latest shake up, announced on Tuesday.

Europe’s new Ryder Cup system

As captain, Donald (plus assistant captains Edoardo Molinari and Thomas Bjorn) will still have six wild card picks for the 12-man cohort.

The other six spots will be determined by the new, consolidated rankings list. The ranking will factor weighted results from the four majors, PGA Tour Signature Events (including the Players), the FedEx Cup playoffs (a PGA Tour staple) and notable stops on the DP World Tour.

For the majors, 5,000 Ryder Cup points will be handed out. The other listed PGA Tour events will offer 3,000. There will also be 2,000 points made available in DP World Tour Rolex Series events and for PGA Tour FedEx Cup tournaments. Lower point totals will be doled out for smaller tournaments on both tours.

LIV Golf results will not be acknowledged. (This remains the case with the Official World Golf Rankings, limiting the pathways into majors and the Olympics for LIV players.)

In the past, Team Europe had utilized two distinct rankings to fill out its roster: the World Points List (based on world rankings) and the European Points List, based on the DP World Tour Race to Dubai.

Furthermore, ’25 European Ryder Cup hopefuls — which can include LIV Golf stars — must maintain an active membership on the DP World Tour to be eligible, a.k.a participating in at least four regular tournaments.

“I am delighted to be able to confirm the details of the qualification process for our 2025 Ryder Cup team,” said the European captain. “A lot of work has gone on behind the scenes to get to this point and everything is now focused on doing all we can to retain the trophy in New York next September.”

The qualification calendar will begin at the Betfred British Masters (Aug. 29) and culminate at a TBD DP World Tour event on Aug. 25, 2025. For the rest of 2024, Ryder Cup points can only be accrued on the DP World Tour. Beginning in 2025, PGA Tour results will start counting.