The Ryder Cup produces emotions no other golf event on the calendar can. The pride and passion golfers embrace representing either the United States or Europe, as well as the match-play format and team dynamic ‒ and rowdier-than-usual crowds they create ‒ lead to moments and performances that are eventually part of a golfer’s legacy alongside how many majors he won.
The 45th Ryder Cup, and the first held at Bethpage Black Golf Course in Farmingdale, New York, begins Friday, September 25 with four-ball and foursomes matches. The United States leads the all-time Ryder Cup series over Europe, 27-15, with 23-straight wins at one point. But that streak ended in 1985 (after continental Europeans were allowed to compete beginning in 1979) and Europe has mostly had the upper hand over the past quarter-century, including its convincing 2023 win in Italy.
Both the United States and Europe have produced memorable teams in the Ryder Cup’s modern era. Ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup, it seemed prudent to rank the best ones to help put into context what could be at stake when the best golfers in the world match up for golf’s most prestigious team event.
Here’s where all the recent Ryder Cup winners stack up (and yes, as part of our patriotic duty to highlight the most-discussed American Ryder Cup comeback ever, this exercise involves ranking the best Ryder Cup teams since 2000 ‒ or so).
Ryder Cup rankings: Best teams since 2000 (or so)
12. 2010 Europe
This Europe team got a 14.5-13.5 win at Celtic Manor Resort in Wales when Graeme McDowell beat Hunter Mahan on the 17th hole. It was the first time in almost 20 years the Ryder Cup had been decided on the final singles match, and the first time weather forced a Monday finish. Sunday comebacks by Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler helped set up the late drama for a European team captained by Colin Montgomerie and featuring Rory McIlroy for the first time. Europe’s 2025 team captain, Luke Donald, and Ian Poulter both had 3-1 records and came away with crucial singles wins.
11. 2002 Europe
At the time, this 15.5-12.5 Europe win at The Belfry in England was its largest margin of victory since 1985. Montgomerie was unbeaten over the course of the event, in which Tiger Woods battled through illness and Phil Mickelson struggled for the Americans. Europe and the United States entered Sunday’s singles tied, but Europe won four of the first six matches. The turn of events was punctuated by Mickelson, then ranked No. 2 in the world, losing to Phillip Price of Wales (No. 119 in the world).
10. 2014 Europe
Europe got a 16.5-11.5 win over the United States at Gleneagles Resort in Scotland by dominating the eight foursomes matches on the first two days of competition. Europe had three golfers (McDowell, Justin Rose and Victor Dubuisson) who were unbeaten over three days of golf, in addition to strong contributions from McIlroy, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia.
9. 2008 United States
The Americans had lost five of the previous six Ryder Cups, but a United States team featuring six Ryder Cup rookies beat Europe,16.5-11.5, at Valhalla. A mix of relative journeymen bested the European Ryder Cup regulars on the other side in Sunday’s singles. Anthony Kim got the momentum going with a 5 and 4 win over Garcia, while Mickelson, Mahan, Jim Furyk, Justin Leonard, J.B. Holmes, Boo Weekley and Chad Campbell were among the American standouts.
8. 2023 Europe
The most recent Ryder Cup saw Europe bounce back from its loss at Whistling Straits in 2021 with a commanding win in Italy. Europe led by five points after the opening day of competition. Then Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland got a historic 9 and 7 win over Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka in a foursomes match on Saturday. McIlroy accounted for a team-best four points and Tommy Fleetwood secured the win for Europe in singles action on Sunday. All but one of Europe’s golfers from 2023 are back on the 2025 team playing at Bethpage Black.
7. 2018 Europe
Europe secured its 17.5-10.5 win over the United States at Le Golf National in France in 2018 when Francesco Molinari became the first European golfer to produce a 5-0-0 record at the Ryder Cup. The Americans had a glimmer of hope when Justin Thomas beat McIlroy to start off Sunday’s singles matches, but Jon Rahm defeated Woods during a closing sequence in which Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Mickelson, Bubba Watson and Bryson DeChambeau all lost their singles matches to European veterans like Ian Poulter, Garcia and Henrik Stenson.
6. 2016 United States
There was a lot of emotion attached to this United States team’s Ryder Cup win at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota. Arnold Palmer had died less than a week before the event began and Davis Love III got another chance to lead the United States team as captain after a Sunday collapse at Medinah in 2012. The United States took a 4-0 lead in the Friday foursomes that opened the competition and led 9-5-6.5 heading into Sunday. There would be no European comeback this time as the best of the U.S. took down Europe’s top Ryder Cup stars. Patrick Reed beat McIlroy, Fowler beat Rose and Mickelson beat Garcia.
5. 2012 Europe
This is the team that authored Europe’s greatest comeback in the Ryder Cup, and it’s also the last team to win a Ryder Cup away from home. Europe beat the United States, 14.5-13.5, at Medinah Country Club in Illinois with a stirring rally after entering Sunday’s singles matches facing a 10-6 deficit. The drama came in the aftermath of the death of Seve Ballesteros and under the captaincy of Jose Maria Olazabal, who played for Europe when it lost a Sunday lead in 1999 at Brookline.
Europe won the final two four-ball matches on Saturday to kick-start its resurgence and then won the first five singles matches on Sunday. McIlroy famously almost missed his tee time for a Sunday singles match only to beat current U.S. team captain Keegan Bradley (McIlroy also met his future wife, who worked as a volunteer at the 2012 Ryder Cup). Molinari gave the Europeans the outright win by halving his match with Woods.
4. 1999 United States
Excuse us for extending these rankings into 1999 and call it a little American bias because this United States team had a defining Ryder Cup comeback on the final day at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. The U.S. won eight of the 12 singles matches to beat Europe, 14.5-13.5, and the ending featured a 45-foot birdie by Leonard that set off a wild celebration. Hal Sutton had a team-best 3.5 points and Woods, Mickelson, Davis Love III, David Duval, Tom Lehman and Furyk were among those to win singles matches as part of the United States rally. This is still the only year in which Woods was on a winning American Ryder Cup team.
3. 2006 Europe
Europe blew out the United States, 18.5-9.5, at The K Club in Ireland and became the first team in this current format to win all five sessions of the Ryder Cup. The U.S. only won 6 of the 28 matches over the course of the event. European stalwarts like Garcia, Westwood, Olazabal and Clarke, as well as newcomers Paul Casey and Stenson, led the way in the last of Montgomerie’s eight-straight Ryder Cup appearances.
2. 2021 United States
Perhaps there’s a little recency (and American) bias with this choice since this isn’t a road Ryder Cup win. But the United States’ performance at Whistling Straits in 2021 produced the most lopsided Ryder Cup score (19-9) since the event expanded to its current team parameters in 1979. The 2021 U.S. team, which featured six Ryder Cup rookies, won four of the five sessions. Dustin Johnson became the first American in more than 40 years to go 5-0-0 at the Ryder Cup. Scottie Scheffler had his first big Ryder Cup moment in Sunday singles match play when he beat Rahm, who was ranked No. 1 in the world golf rankings at the time.
This was also the last U.S. team before the PGA Tour and LIV Golf split. It included most of the top American stars to emerge over the past 15 years such as Spieth, Thomas, DeChambeau, Koepka and Collin Morikawa.
1. 2004 Europe
Winning a road Ryder Cup is a rare feat with a rambunctious gallery that creates noise and distraction that can’t be replicated at other golf tournaments. The United States hasn’t done it since 1993. Europe has only won on U.S. soil four times, and not since 2012. Given that, Europe gets the nod as producing the best Ryder Cup team of the past quarter-century (or so) because of its dominant win at Oakland Hills in Michigan in 2004.
Europe beat the United States by a record-setting score of 18.5-9.5, taking a five-point lead after the first day of competition and cruising through Sunday’s singles matches. Westwood and Garcia each scored 4.5 out of a possible five points over the three days of match play, setting the tone for the rest of their record-setting Ryder Cup careers with Europe. Donald and fellow European Ryder Cup captains Collin Montgomerie, Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley were among the other top performers.