Europe's Most Successful Ryder Cup Golfers & Captains

Originally contested between America and Great Britain in 1927, the Ryder Cup was expanded in 1979 to include all of continental Europe on one team.

Since the switch, the biennial competition has become much more competitive after a long period of American domination. The Americans hold a 27-15-2 all-time advantage in Ryder Cup history.

While the selection format has changed over the years, those chosen to compete for the Ryder Cup represent the best golfers in their region.

Here's the quick list of the Europe's Ryder Cup players with the most appeareances. We'll cover the top players in more detail shortly.

T1. Nick Faldo - 11
T1. Lee Westwood - 11
T3. Sergia Garcia - 10
T3. Bernhard Langer - 10
T3. Christy O'Connor, Sr. - 10
6. Dai Rees - 9
 

English golfer Nick Faldo shares the European and all-time lead in Ryder Cup appearances with Lee Westwood and Phil Mickelson. Competing in 11 Ryder Cups from 1977-1997, the former world number one was known as a focused and fierce competitor. Since retiring from competition, Faldo was given the honor of knighthood.

Faldo went on to captain the 2008 European Ryder Cup team, an unsuccessful bid as the United States picked up a 16.5 -- 11.5 win at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, the team’s most lop-sided win since 1981.

Faldo accumulated 25 points in his 11 Ryder Cup appearances with a 23-19-4 overall record and a 6-4-1 mark in singles play.

Englishman Lee Westwood tied Faldo’s European record of 11 Ryder Cup appearances with a captain's selection in 2021. Westwood made his Ryder Cup debut in 1997 and has a long history of excellence, including a 22-week span as world number one in 2010.

Westwood moved into a tie for third on Europe’s all-time points list in 2021, earning his 24th career Ryder Cup point with a Sunday singles victory over Harris English, which improved his all-time singles record to 4-7-0.

Bernhard Langer was a dominant golfer throughout the 80s and 90s. Hailing from Germany, Langer was a member of 10 European Ryder Cup teams between 1981-2002, racking up 24.0 points.

The Spanish golfer tied Bernhard Langer with his 10th Ryder Cup appearance in 2021, and as Europe’s all-time points leader at 28.5, Garcia has been a thorn in the side of Team USA for two decades.

Irish golfer Christy O'Connor experienced success both in Europe and America throughout his long career. As a reward for his high level of play, O'Connor was chosen to 10 European Ryder Cup teams from 1955-1973. O’Connor, however, struggled against the Americans, needing 36 matches to secure 13 total points, compiling an 11-21-4 overall record including a 2-10-2 mark in singles.

Welsh golfer Dai Rees competed in nine Ryder Cups between 1937-1961. Rees was named captain of the then solely British team five times, and in 1957 delivered the only victory of a European team over the Americans in a 52-year span from 1933-1985.

The following golfers have all competed in a respectable eight Ryder Cups against the American team.

• Peter Alliss (England) 1953-1969
• Steve Ballesteros (Spain) 1979-1995
• Neil Coles (England) 1961-1977
• Bernard Gallacher (Scotland) 1969-1983
• Bernard Hunt (England) 1953-1969
• Colin Montgomerie (Scotland) 1991-2006
• Sam Torrance (Scotland) 1981-1995
• Ian Woosnam (Wales) 1983-1997

Making the European Ryder Cup team consistently is a great achievement, but beating the Americans is the ultimate goal. These European Ryder Cup stalwarts have dealt the most damage to Team USA in Ryder Cup history.

In just about a century of Ryder Cup history, no European Ryde Cup captain has won more than two Ryder Cups. In large part, that's been a crime of opportunity, or lack thereof. It's been 30 years since a Eurpoean Ryder Cup captain even captained his second cup, but Luke Donald will change that in 2025 when he leads Team Europe for the second straight Ryder Cup. A win for Donald and the Europeans in 2025 would make him arguably the most successful European Ryder Cup captain in history.

Here's a look at the all-time European Ryder Cup captains, sorted by record.