RORY MCILROY'S victory at the Masters has given him a stunning lead in the race for a spot in the Ryder Cup. The Northern Irishman is set to compete once again for Team Europe as they look to retain their crown at the Bethpage Black Course in New York from September 26-28. Luke Donald's side will be made up of 12 players, with six guaranteeing their spot through the ranking system and the other six getting chosen by the team captain. Ranking points are handed out to players based on their performances at PGA Tour events and the four majors. McIlroy's stunning 2025 has already seen him clinch the Players Championship as well as the Green Jacket at Augusta. And he has all-but booked his spot at the Masters after picking up a whopping 2863.75 points. It puts McIlroy 1,873.20 clear at the top of the table. Tyrrell Hatton is in second with 990.55 and Justin Rose's runner-up spot at the Masters sees him in third with 870.04. Rasmus Hojgaard, Shane Lowry and Ludvig Aberg complete the current top six. But stars like Tommy Fleetwood, Thomas Detry and Matt Wallace are hot on their heels. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Viktor Hovland and Robert MacIntyre were part of the squad that won the Ryder Cup for Europe in 2023 and they sit 12th and 13th respectively. John Rahm was also previously in the side and will seemingly have to settle for being one of Donald's picks. The Spaniard is now part of LIV Golf and he therefore languishes in 26th place due to him no longer playing in PGA Tour competitions. Meanwhile, the current American top six is Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Bryson DeChambeau, Russell Henley and Justin Thomas. Players have up until the end of the BMW Championship on August 17 to pick up ranking points for the Ryder Cup.