Aaron Rai was the only English champion among the men’s major winners this season. Normally, if he wanted to qualify for the next big event (the Ryder Cup), this win would have earned him 5,000 points. But after the latest update from Team Europe, that win won’t matter.

Ryder Cup Europe has announced the eligibility criteria for the 2027 Ryder Cup. Captain Luke Donald said he is looking forward to the process and added, “We have a lot of talented European players at the moment, some with Ryder Cup experience and others who will be trying to qualify for the first time.” His announcement included the points awarded to each tournament, now divided into five bands.

• Band 5 – Major Championships (of 2027), 5,000 points
• Band 4 – PGA Tour signature events + The Players + FedExCup Playoffs events, 3,000 points
• Band 3 – DPWT Rolex Series events and PGA Tour regular FedExCup events, 2,000 points
• Band 2 – DPWT Back 9 events, 1,500 points
• Band 1 – DPWT Global Series events and PGA Tour opposite-field events, 1,000 points

For the most part, it looks the same as last year, but there are some noticeable tweaks. Here’s what changed and stayed the same.

What changed for the 2027 Ryder Cup

The point awarded for a major win is still the same (5,000); however, it is only valuable for Ryder Cup qualification if the win falls within the qualification period. Now that starts with the Husqvarna British Masters (August 27-30), hosted by Sir Nick Faldo at the end of this month. It’ll run through August 22, 2027.

That means Aaron Rai’s PGA Championship win doesn’t count this time around. Interestingly, Team USA generally awards points for majors even during the non-Ryder Cup years.

Tommy Fleetwood finished T4 at The Open. Under the new rules, even a win there wouldn’t count for 2027 qualification. Only the major wins in 2027 will count now.

What didn’t change for the 2027 Ryder Cup

Several changes from 2024 will remain the same this time.

• Ryder Cup points list

The biggest structural change made ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup—the move away from separate European Points and World Points lists—has been retained.

Instead of qualifying through two independent rankings—the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) and the European Points List—players will once again compete on a single Ryder Cup Points List, making the race considerably easier to follow.

But, of course, in case two members tie (same points) in the rankings, the member with the higher OWGR ranking on August 16, 2027, will be chosen.

• Automatic qualifiers, captain’s picks

Team Europe will again have six automatic qualifiers, and Donald will get to make his six picks at his own discretion in the week commencing 30 August 2027. The top six members on the rankings will automatically qualify, with points on offer from the Race to Dubai Ranking, FedExCup playoffs, and the majors.

• Time Frame

Last time, the players had exactly one year to qualify for the 2025 European Ryder Cup team. Like last time, the qualification window starts with the Husqvarna British Masters (August 27-30) at the end of this month. It will last exactly one year, meaning the qualification window will close on August 22, 2027. 

• DP World Tour membership

Once again, players must remain members of the DP World Tour and satisfy its membership requirements to be eligible for Team Europe. This rule has become particularly relevant since the arrival of LIV Golf.

There are some things to keep in mind, however. For instance, if PGA Tour events are held in the same week as the DP World Tour’s Rolex Series events, the events will not offer points.

The status of LIV pros

For much of the LIV era, European players had to carefully juggle DP World Tour appearances, majors, and limited opportunities elsewhere while dealing with the eligibility criteria. It was a major headache for most LIV pros, including Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton. Sure, they made it to the team, but they will not have to worry about the same as much.

Rahm has already ended his dispute with the DP World Tour, restoring his Ryder Cup eligibility. Provided that he continues meeting membership obligations. Tyrrell Hatton, along with others, remains in a similar position.

Even if LIV keeps marching on to its own tune, the old standalone World Points List has been retired, so qualification no longer hinges on gathering world-ranking points through a separate lane. Instead, players now simply bank Ryder Cup points from eligible tournaments inside the new system.

And if LIV golfers still pick up OWGR points through their own circuit, those rankings could continue to open doors to majors and other eligible events, indirectly giving them more chances to rack up Ryder Cup points.

It all depends on LIV’s future, however. The league itself isn’t doing well, having issued termination notices to its employees. And it has already canceled multiple events.

So, for LIV golfers like Rahm and Hatton, this could be especially significant. Since LIV’s schedule leaves plenty of gaps, they can target Rolex Series events and the majors rather than trying to pile up starts.