The Power 18 golf rankings: Xander Schauffele returns to top five, Cameron Young among most notable movers
As the golf world slows following the Ryder Cup, the Power 18 reassesses where the best in the world stand
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8 min read
With the primary 2025 PGA Tour season over and the Ryder Cup in the books, most of the United States best golfers are now able to rest for the remainder of the calendar year. While FedEx Cup Fall continues to take shape and the DP World Tour inches towards its postseason, which culminates in the Middle East, most of the best golfers in the world are working on their games eyeing the start of 2026.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is among those who have hung up the cleats the Hero World Challenge comes around in December. The four-time major champion won his 19th PGA Tour title at the Procore Championship in the build up to the Ryder Cup but fell flat against Europe garnering a 1-4-0 record thanks to a singles victory over Rory McIlroy.
McIlroy, meanwhile, enjoyed an extremely productive Ryder Cup with a 3-1-1 personal record. Dealing with adversity inside and outside the ropes, the Northern Irishman successfully called his shot and raised the cup amid the hostility that were thrown at him at Bethpage Black.
The Northern Irishman could not have gotten the job done without his fellow Europeans, namely Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm. Those two were exquisite during the first four sessions before they, too, fell in Sunday singles amid the Americans' desperate attempt at clawing back into the competition.
Matt Fitzpatrick made everyone forget about his poor Ryder Cup record with his play on Long Island, while New York's own Cameron Young showed that when the lights are the brightest, he has the guts and gumption to perform on the grandest of stages.
The Power 18 provides insight as to how golfers are currently performing with benefit given to their play over recent events. It is a wider lens than simply what happened at the last tournament to be played but more narrow than the Official World Golf Rankings, which take into account how more than 2,000 golfers perform across an entire season.
The Power 18
| 1 | |
| Scheffler had an answer for everything this PGA Tour season with six wins including two major championships, but questions have surfaced around his play in team competitions. He became the first world No. 1 to go 0-4-0 across the first four sessions of the Ryder Cup -- first golfer, period, to do it in the modern era -- and was without his best stuff at Bethpage Black for much of the week. Scheffler remains the clear-cut best player in the world, but if the U.S. Ryder Cup team's fortunes are to change down the road, Scheffler summoning his A-game in the event would be a nice start. Previous: 1 | |
| 2 | |
| McIlroy was a man on a mission in Long Island as he perfectly tightroped staying his own bubble and feeding off the ill-mannered shouts from outside the ropes. He moved to seventh on the all-time European Ryder Cup points list with his 3-1-1 record following his 4-1-0 showing in Rome. McIlroy now turns his attention to the impending DP World Tour playoffs where he will aim to defend his title and win another Race to Dubai. Previous: 4 | |
| 3 | |
| The FedEx Cup champion championed the way for the Europeans at Bethpage Black as he nearly became the first player to go perfect in a road Ryder Cup. Instead, Fleetwood settled for a 4-1-0 mark and a career 11-4-2 record across his four appearances. He now has the highest point percentage among Europeans to play in at least 10 Ryder Cup matches with a 70.6% rate. Previous: 3 | |
| 4 | |
| Not many players have a presence about them, but Rahm does -- physically and psychologically. The burly Spaniard marched his way around Bethpage Black with intent, improving to 6-0-0 in foursomes in his Ryder Cup career. Rahm's performance in New York was another reminder of when he is on he is among, if not, the best in the game. Previous: 2 | |
| 5 | |
| Quietly among the best options on the U.S. team at the Ryder Cup. The world No. 4 put together a strong 3-1-0 showing the included a relatively stress-free victory over Rahm in Sunday singles. Schauffele did not make a ton of putts on the week but allowed his tee-to-green acumen to lead the way in terms of his performance. The putter was a problem (relative to 2024) in 2025 before he found it in a big way in Japan where he notched a win at the Baycurrent Classic. Previous: 9 | |
| 6 | |
| Outside of Scheffler, Fitzpatrick may have been the most consistent player in the world heading into the Ryder Cup, and he showed that past performances are not indicative of future results. The Englishman was stellar with a 2-1-1 record to collect his first Ryder Cup points in the U.S. He squandered a massive lead over Bryson DeChambeau in Sunday singles, but the week as a whole can only be viewed as a success. Previous: 8 | |
| 7 | |
| DeChambeau was relied on heavily by the U.S. team and looked the part at certain stages. He did not receive a ton of help in his Friday foursomes match but exacted revenge the following morning with Young by his side. The two-time U.S. Open champion had a long putt to win his singles match on the 18th hole after falling as many as five behind Fitzpatrick before settling for a tie and a 1-3-1 record on the week. Previous: 6 | |
| 8 | |
| By far the best player to don the red, white and blue this past weekend. Young looked more than comfortable in his Ryder Cup debut going 3-1-0 and ranking second in just about every strokes-gained category behind only Fleetwood. The question now becomes if he is able to use this experience as a launch pad similar to Jordan Spieth at the Presidents Cup and Scheffler at the Ryder Cup. Previous: 10 | |
| 9 | |
| Sidelined during Saturday four-ball and Sunday singles due to a neck injury, Hovland participated in only foursomes where he went 1-1-0 along with Robert MacIntyre. While his iron play was not as sharp as it had been for much of the year, the Norwegian notched major moments thanks to his putter. His ability to rise up to the moment seems to only be getting better the more times he gets into the situation. Previous: 12 | |
| 10 | |
| The Englishman is now 4-0-0 in foursomes alongside Rahm in the last two Ryder Cups; Hatton made big putt after big putt in the opening match of the proceedings against DeChambeau and Justin Thomas. One of the few Europeans to not lose his Sunday singles match, Hatton's tie made it sure the envelope rule would not be discussed any further. He did not lose a full point all week with his 3-0-1 record. Previous: Not ranked | |
| 11 | |
| MacIntyre missed the cut badly at the BMW PGA Championship is his last start before the Ryder Cup but shook it off quickly. He went 1-1-1 with Hovland by his side for foursomes action and wasn't the least bit afraid of giving it back to the American fans. His chipping and pitching remain some of the most underrated in the professional game, pushing him to a win at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship the week after the Ryder Cup. Previous: 14 | |
| 12 | |
| Henley's Ryder Cup will receive some unfair criticism due to leaving putts short on Nos. 17-18 against Shane Lowry, which would have staved off a European win. Despite this, the world No. 3 was relatively solid throughout the week after shedding some early nerves. He went 0-2-1 with both losses coming in foursomes alongside Scheffler while ranking sixth in field in total strokes gained. Previous: 5 | |
| 13 | |
| Continued to be more and more impressed with Spaun. The U.S. Open champion was ultra comfortable in his Ryder Cup debut as he went 2-1-0 which included a straightforward defeat of Sepp Straka on Sunday. He probably should have been out on the course in at least one of the foursomes matches but he made the most of his opportunities elsewhere. It's unknown how long this run of his will last, but it is known that he has a hankering for the arena. Previous: 18 | |
| 14 | |
| "The badge and the boys." That's what Rose said he relied on at the Ryder Cup and why he is able to elevate his game on this stage. The 45-year-old turned back to the clock and turned into an absolute menace alongside Fleetwood on Friday and Saturday afternoon to defeat DeChambeau twice alongside Ben Griffin and Scheffler. He leaned heavily on the putter, but he continues to show his best can still stack up with the best in the world. Previous: 15 | |
| 15 | |
| Thomas did not enter the Ryder Cup with the best of form, but he again showed up when it mattered. Thomas made an emphatic putt on the last to hand Fleetwood his lone loss of the week and went 2-2-0 in the process. He was benched Saturday morning in a little bit of a head-scratching move. His usual staples -- iron play and short game -- showed up in a big way for him. Previous: 17 | |
| 16 | |
| The lone European to win his Sunday singles match, Åberg may turn out to be an answer to a golf trivia question one day down the road. The Swede showed up out of the gates with Fitzpatrick Friday morning but then struggled across his next two playing sessions. His iron play was not at its sharpest, but overall it proved to be a solid showing in his first Ryder Cup in a hostile environment. Previous: 13 | |
| 17 | |
| Barely played in his Ryder Cup debut but did notch a win on Sunday over fellow rookie Rasmus Højgaard. Griffin finished runner up to Scheffler at the Procore Championship entering the Ryder Cup, continuing his string of consistent play that stretches back to the spring. He might have some work to do to elevate or at least maintain his level of play when the situation is heightened. Previous: 7 | |
| 18 | |
| Played all five sessions for the U.S. and collected a 1-3-1 record for his play. Cantlay was the lone American to drop a full point on Sunday and had his chances to leave his prints on this event. A couple of short putts proved costly for him, namely on No. 14 Friday afternoon where he halved a match with McIlroy and Shane Lowry alongside Sam Burns. All in all, he is an asset for the red, white and blue, but it was far from his best stuff at Bethpage. Previous: 11 | |
