Explained: How European players qualify for the Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup is one of the most hotly-anticipated weeks in golf.

The best players from Europe and the USA go head to head over three days every two years, with the rivalry growing over the event’s near-100-year history.

But the qualification process can often be confusing, especially when changes are made. Allow us to explain it…

For the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, there are a few tweaks to the process for Team Europe.

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In recent editions, nine players have made the team automatically through the World and European points lists, with three captain’s picks.

However, ahead of the showpiece at Marco Simone, captain Luke Donald has elected to double the number of wildcards available.

That means three players will qualify automatically from each of the points lists, with the remaining six places handed out at the skipper’s discretion.

It brings Europe up to the same number of captain’s picks as the US.

The tweaks don’t stop there, either. Donald, his vice-captains Thomas Bjorn and Edoardo Molinari and the DP World Tour tournament committee have also opted to change the number of points allocated to events on the European points list.

Previously, the ratio between the highest and lowest-ranked events was 6:1. That meant the highest-ranked event had 12,000 points available, while the lowest had 2,000.

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Now, however, the ratio has been reduced to 4:1. The highest-ranked events will now be worth 6,000 points, while the lowest will see 1,500 points dished out.

The European points list is split into five categories, as follows:

– Majors and DP World Tour Championship – 6,000 points
– Rolex Series events/WGCs – 5,000 points
– Events worth $5million or more – 3,500 points
– Events worth $2million or more – 2,500 points
– Events worth less than $2million – 1,500 points

One thing which is not changing is the protection offered to Rolex Series events. Points will not be awarded for tournaments which conflict with the DP World Tour’s flagship series.