There is not long to go until the 42nd edition of the Ryder Cup and we have taken the opportunity to assess the match play records of Thomas Bjorn's European team.
The Europeans are currently 11/8 underdogs according to the Ryder Cup odds as they look to reclaim the trophy after losing to the USA at Hazeltine two years ago. Bjorn's men face an uphill struggle and our European team power rankings reveal they are relying on some familiar faces to produce the goods at Le Golf National in Paris next weekend...
The Rankings (according to singles and team match play; including Ryder Cup, Eurasia Trophy, Seve Trophy etc):
Ian Poulter - 1st
Career Singles Match Play Record: Won 40 - Lost 17 - Halved 5
Career Team Match Play Record: 17-8-2
The former Volvo World Match Play and WGC Match Play champion is a Ryder Cup legend. The Englishman tends to save his very best for contests with the United States of America and it will be fascinating to see if the 42-year-old can produce the goods again.
Rory McIlroy - 2nd
Singles: 29-15-3
Team: 10-6-3
Rory McIlroy remains the best player on the European team, even if trophies have been hard to come by this year. McIlroy has only lost one of his four singles matches during his Ryder Cup career and he won all three matches in partnership with Thomas Pieters in 2016. Who will be his partner this time?
Paul Casey - 3rd
Singles: 35-25-3
Team: 13-8-4
Paul Casey returns to the Ryder Cup fold for the first time since 2008. The Englishman has twice finished runner-up at the WGC Match Play and he has an impressive career record when it comes to match play events.
Sergio Garcia - 4th
Singles: 34-27-4
Team: 20-13-6
Sergio Garcia was afforded a wildcard on the basis of his past performances at the Ryder Cup and he needs two-and-a-half more points to usurp Nick Faldo as Europe's all-time leading points scorer. The Spaniard has struggled for form since winning his maiden major title at the 2017 Masters and it is worth noting that his record in team match play golf has faded, with Garcia winning just three of the last 13 matches with a partner.
Justin Rose - 5th
Singles: 16-15-2
Team: 12-7-2
Justin Rose won all three of his Ryder Cup matches in partnership with Henrik Stenson in 2014, although the pair won only one of three together at Hazeltine in 2016.
Henrik Stenson - 6th
Singles: 26-18-5
Team: 15-13-4
The 2007 WGC Match Play winner is another experienced Ryder Cup star who has been afforded a wildcard following a difficult year that has been interrupted by an elbow injury.
Tyrrell Hatton - 7th
Singles: 8-4-0
Team: 2-0-0
The Ryder Cup rookie has a decent singles record and made a good impression when winning both of his matches in partnership with Ross Fisher and Paul Casey respectively at the EurAsia Cup earlier this year.
Alexander Noren - 8th
Singles: 17-6-0
Team: 3-4-1
Alexander Noren has a wonderful match play record as he reached the quarter-finals of the World Match Play in 2017 before finishing 3rd in 2018. He has only lost six singles matches in the past and it is worth noting that four of those defeats came in his first six outings in the format, with the Swede losing only two of the next 17.
Tommy Fleetwood - 9th
Singles: 8-6-0
Team: 2-3-0
A quarter-finalist at the WGC Match Play in 2015, Tommy Fleetwood won all three of his matches at the 2018 EurAsia Cup, including his fourball and foursome matches with Stenson and Casey.
Jon Rahm - 10th
Singles: 6-3-1
Team: 0-0-0
Another Ryder Cup rookie, Jon Rahm has won five professional tournament and he is only 23 years old. The Spaniard was runner-up at the 2017 WGC Match Play.
Francesco Molinari - 11th
Singles: 13-16-2
Team: 4-9-2
Francesco Molinari was part of the winning European teams at the 2010 and 2012 Ryder Cups, although he has never actually won a match. He has halved two and lost four of his six matches, and his general match play record is really very poor.
Thorbjorn Olesen - 12th
Singles: 3-9-0
Team: 3-4-0
Thorbjorn Olesen's fine form towards the end of the season deservedly earned him a debut appearance at the Ryder Cup. The Dane played the 2014 EurAsia Cup and has won the World Cup of Golf, alongside Soren Kjeldsen.
