– There is only one week left for the European team qualification period for the Ryder Cup to close. That is, to know the six players who qualify directly for Bethpage without needing to be chosen by the captain. Four players have already mathematically secured their place: Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, and Justin Rose. Therefore, there are two spots left, and only five players can aim to fill them based on their performance in the Tour Championship of the PGA Tour and the British Masters of the DP World Tour, the last two counting tournaments. It’s exact science.
– Right now, the fifth and sixth positions are occupied by Tyrrell Hatton and Shane Lowry. However, one thing is already certain, Hatton will not qualify directly for the Ryder. Despite his efforts, he will have to be chosen by Luke Donald, something that is going to happen no matter what. The issue is that, in the worst-case scenario, Lowry and Sepp Straka will finish in positions 29 and 30 of the Tour Championship, and in both situations, they surpass Hatton. Thus, the Englishman will be at most seventh in the final ranking. The only thing that can save Jon Rahm‘s teammate in LIV Golf is if Straka, absent from the BMW Championship due to a family issue, also declines his participation in the Tour Championship. So far, nothing has been said about it.
– As things stand, besides Lowry and Straka, the other three players who still have mathematical chances of qualifying for the Ryder are: Rasmus Hojgaard, Ludvig Aberg, and Viktor Hovland. No one else.
– The lowest amount that the sixth position can reach is what Straka would accumulate by finishing 30th in the Tour Championship. In that case, he would reach a total of 1291.27 points. This is the minimum that Hojgaard, Aberg, and Hovland must surpass to have a chance. Therefore, the minimum they must do to keep their chances alive are:
Rasmus Hojgaard must finish at least 10th in the British Masters.
Ludvig Aberg must finish at least 3rd in the Tour Championship
Viktor Hovland must finish tied 2nd with at least one other in the Tour Championship.
We insist, this is the minimum they must do, and then it will really depend on what Lowry and Straka do, how far they can raise that minimum bar with their performance in the Tour Championship.
Europe’s qualification process for the Ryder Cup closes at the conclusion of the British Masters. Two weeks later, at the conclusion of the Omega European Masters in Switzerland, the week of 1st September, Luke Donald will announce his six picks. Therefore, there will be one more week in the European Circuit to prove themselves. For example, in Switzerland, Thomas Detry, the Hojgaard brothers, Matt Wallace, Matt Fitzpatrick, Marco Penge, or Aaron Rai are currently signed up. Those who are not, at least for now, are Harry Hall, Aberg, Hovland, or Kristoffer Reitan.
