The Highest Point Scorers In Ryder Cup History

The Ryder Cup is a team competition played between teams from the United States of America and Europe, over three different formats of golf.

There are singles; foursomes in which two pairs face off in a straight contest; and fourballs in which pairs face off and take alternating shots, with only the best score from each pair being recorded at each hole.

A win in an event awards a point to the individual or the winning team. This contributes to the overall scoring at the Ryder Cup, and the different event’s highest scorers usually demonstrate who was the standout player. 

But who has the most points in Ryder Cup history? Who has regularly made their team’s squad and consistently achieved victories in all three formats in the history of the competition?

Sergio Garcia

Spaniard Sergio Garcia is the all-time points leader with 28.5 – 28 wins and a single tie across the three formats. He has a remarkable record of having won in his first nine appearances – a streak which ended in 2021.

Sergio Garcia has commented on trying to pay the 700k dollar fines to play in this years Ryder Cup and being rejected:

“I love the Ryder Cup and the feeling that being on that team gives you, that’s not going to go away. It doesn’t matter whether they want me to play another or… pic.twitter.com/YDAqsmzK2R

— Tour Pro ????️‍♂️ (@OfficialTourPro) September 22, 2023

Garcia did not make the cut for the 2023 squad so he will be unable to extend his record as the highest all-time points scorer. Scottie Scheffler is one of the leading stars who could begin to scratch away at Garcia’s record in his absence. In the Ryder Cup picks odds, he is offered at 15/2 to be the highest points scorer at this year’s tournament. 

The current world number one scored 2.5 points in his debut Ryder Cup of 2021. A score of around four should be enough to see him finish as the overall leader in 2023, and it would also put him on track to start building towards Garcia’s record.

The Spanish legend averaged a consistent pace of 2.85 points recorded per event over 10 appearances. While his ability was certainly impressive, his longevity in the sport allowed him to make many appearances and establish a new record.

Nick Faldo

Nick Faldo was a legendary English golfer who won an impressive six major championships during his career. His performances in the Ryder Cup have also gone down in history as he sits narrowly behind Garcia in the highest point scorers all-time list.

Faldo appeared in 11 Ryder Cup events and managed 25 points which stood as the record until Garcia’s 2018 Ryder Cup display.

The fact he played at an additional tournament during his career but recorded 3.5 points fewer than Garcia has managed overall, further emphasises the unparalleled consistency that the Spaniard had to maintain in order to break the record. 

????????????????️ Sir Nick Faldo had this to say about LIV golfers not being a part of Team Europe at The Ryder Cup: "These guys have moved on. I think we have one of the strongest teams we have ever had. Those guys have left the tour and are in a different world now. They have not… pic.twitter.com/eFYaoBf86T

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) September 19, 2023

The Englishman is one of Team Europe’s greatest players in the history of the event, as he helped them to retain the trophy five times between 1985 and 1997. He pioneered Europe’s turn in fortunes in the Ryder Cup during that period, but still, his direct point contributions were bettered by Garcia’s efforts.

Ultimately the nearest competitor to Garcia’s total in the all-time points standings does not even compare to his average points total per tournament appearance.

Garcia demonstrated a remarkable level of points-scoring at the Ryder Cup that no individual has ever replicated in the history of the biennial meeting between Europe and USA’s most spectacular players.