When Alex Noren sank a birdie to win the BMW PGA Championship in a playoff over Adrien Saddier, he not only claimed his 12th DP World Tour title—making him the most successful Swedish player in tour history—but also did so as vice-captain of Team Europe ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup.

When asked about his win and whether he still had interest in playing at Bethpage, Noren admitted: “I’ll take my clubs this time but take it home to Florida. I think the other guys have played better than me throughout the year. I’ve had a great result now the last month but it came a little bit too late. I think the guys on the team is going to be fantastic. I’m really looking forward to that match more than, I don’t know, in a long time, yeah.”

Following his $1.5 million victory, Noren will head home to Florida before joining the European squad on Sunday. His recent run has been impressive—T3 at the Wyndham Championship, followed by two DP World Tour wins—but overall inconsistency in 2025 left him outside the playing lineup. A large part of that came down to a serious setback at the start of the year: a 90-percent tear in a hamstring tendon that sidelined him for nearly five months. With so much time out, he missed key events and struggled for rhythm, managing only two PGA Tour top-10s, both in July.

That dip in form was in contrast to his 2024 season, when, though winless, he was steady and reliable. That year, he stacked up multiple top-25s, including a 3rd place at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. While his game lacked a finishing edge, it was consistent enough to suggest he was still on the right track. The injury in early 2025, however, disrupted that momentum and left him playing catch-up all year.

So, when asked whether the Ryder Cup pressure had played a role in his uneven season, Noren reflected: “Yeah, I don’t know, the different mental aspects, I remember back in 2018, I wanted to perform well to kind of show that I could play a lot of matches in the Ryder Cup, and I got three. I think that was fair. You’ve got to just play really well all the time, and that’s what the best players do.”

Back in 2018, his form and results secured him a place on the team, highlighted by a T3 finish at the BMW PGA. This time, though, his Ryder Cup involvement comes in a very different way.

Alex Noren shocked after new responsibility in the 2025 Ryder Cup

Just 24 hours after the 2025 Ryder Cup team announcement, Noren was handed a surprise vice-captaincy role. The news, he admitted, caught him off guard:
“It was a big shock when I found out. I didn’t expect it at all. I want to bring a good attitude to the team room. Bring some knowledge. I’ve been in this game a long time.”

To his credit, Noren’s Ryder Cup credentials are strong. Part of the 2018 Ryder Cup team at Le Golf National, he won two of his three matches, including a foursomes victory over Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau (5&4), and later beat DeChambeau again in singles with a memorable 40-foot putt that sealed Team Europe’s triumph.

His broader team experience is equally extensive, having represented Europe in the Royal Trophy (2010), Seve Trophy (2011), World Cup of Golf (2011, 2016), and most recently, the 2023 Hero Cup, where he helped secure a win.

European captain Luke Donald praised the appointment, saying:
“Alex brings a lot to the table; he is obviously a Ryder Cup player himself, having played in 2018 in France, and he has played on both the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour at a very high level.”

With 13 career titles and two decades of professional experience, Noren may not be inside the ropes this time, but his insight and leadership will be key as Team Europe looks to retain the trophy.