With only two weeks left of Ryder Cup qualification, the race is on for the final three automatic spots in Luke Donald’s European team.
This week’s D+D Real Czech Masters on the DP World Tour and the Tour Championship on the PGA TOUR mark the penultimate events in the qualification race, which will be followed by Donald’s Captain’s Picks on Monday September 4.
A total of 14 players that are teeing up at Albatross Golf Club still have a statistical opportunity to earn the final place on the European Points List, while a tussle for the final two spots on the World Points List comes down to four players in the field at East Lake.
And with Donald and three of his five Vice Captains Nicolas Colsaerts, Edoardo and Francesco Molinari all in the field in the Czech Republic, there’s as much a chance for players to make a final impression this week as there is a push for the automatic spot.
“There are definitely some spots open,” said Donald.
“I was looking at the statistics this morning, someone as low as 23rd on the European Points list, if they won this week and next, still have a statistical chance of making that top three on the list. All to play for, I’d say, and these guys should be chomping at the bit to show up and have some good weeks. The guys on the bubble statistically have the best chance and a strong performance here will go a long way.”
“It's great to see that commitment. It doesn’t go unnoticed. Everyone in their right mind should have playing a Ryder Cup as a goal of theirs. People who have played never want to miss one once they’ve been a part of it. Rookies want to understand how special the event is. A lot of guys who should be playing are playing this week and I’m excited to see how the week unfolds.
“I’m excited to be here this week. It’s a beautiful city, great culture, lots of history, and an important week for me with two weeks left in automatic qualifying. A big week for a lot of the guys, I’m excited to see how they’re playing and how the week ends up.”
Who has already been confirmed for Team Europe?
Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland are the three players who have already secured automatic qualification onto Team Europe. Both McIlroy and Rahm earned their way into the team through the top two places on the European Points List, while Hovland confirmed his second appearance through the World Points List.
As it stands, Tyrrell Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood, both of whom are in action in the TOUR Championship on the PGA TOUR this week, occupy the two other available spots on the World Points List, while Robert MacIntyre is in the third and final spot on the European Points list.
Wide Open race for European Points List at D+D REAL Czech Masters
MacIntyre is currently in the last remaining qualification spot on the European Points List with two weeks to go, but five other players could displace him by the end of this week with a strong performance at the D+D REAL Czech Masters. In reality, there are still mathematically 20 players who could still earn their place with two good weeks, but only 14 of those (including MacIntyre) are in the field at Albatross Golf Resort.
Currently on 1743.57 points, MacIntyre is 90.67 points ahead of nearest challenger Yannik Paul, who he displaced from the automatic qualifying spot following his runner-up finish at the Genesis Scottish Open. Adrian Meronk, Victor Perez, Rasmus Højgaard and Adrian Otaegui all join Paul with a slim chance, but to have a statistical chance at occupying the final place with a week to go, Paul would have to finish fifth or better, Meronk third or better, Perez second or better, and Højgaard and Otaegui would have to secure victory to have a shot at leapfrogging the Scot.
A lot will need to fall into place, but there are still 10 other players in the field who could play their way into the final qualifying spot on the European Points List, but they would need two exceptional weeks at both this week’s D+D REAL Czech Masters and next week’s Omega European Masters.
As it stands, MacIntyre, Paul, Meronk, Perez, Højgaard and Otaegui are also up against Shane Lowry, Jorge Campillo, Thorbjørn Olesen, Antoine Rozner, Pablo Larrazábal, Alexander Björk, Marcel Siem and Dale Whitnell this week. Six others – Fleetwood, Hatton, Alex Norén, Jordan Smith, Joost Luiten and Romain Langasque would also have a chance, but are not in the field this week.
Four-way battle for two spots on the World Points List
Teeing up in East Lake on the PGA TOUR this week are Hatton, Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick and Sepp Straka, who all made it into the 30-man field for the season-ending Tour Championship. The top three are separated by just 20.55 points, with Straka 34.16 points behind Fitzpatrick.
Hatton has the best statistical chance of confirming his place this week: Unless Fleetwood is second and Fitzpatrick wins, Hatton only needs to complete the 72-hole tournament.
Meanwhile, separated by just 1.9 points, Fleetwood and Fitzpatrick are so close that it could boil down to which one of them beats the other to occupy that final spot. Unless they are right at the top of the leaderboard, they will likely be battling it out for the final place, although Straka still has a mathematical chance. And while even with a victory Straka is unable to catch Hatton, he could move into that third place if he won, Fleetwood finishes worse than sixth and Fitzpatrick is worse than fifth.
With Fitzpatrick also in the field for the Omega European Masters at Crans Sur Sierre next week, the race for the World Points List will not officially finish until the end of the qualifying period.
Vying for a Captain’s pick
With six Captain’s picks available, it’s little surprise that Donald and three of his Vice Captain’s are in the field and teeing up with several players who have been mentioned in the Ryder Cup conversation throughout the qualifying period.
During the first two days of competition Donald will play alongside MacIntyre and Björk, a player who had six top tens in seven starts ahead of the Genesis Scottish Open – which includes the DS Automobiles Italian Open at Ryder Cup Venue Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.
Edoardo Molinari, whose stats resource Data Golf is being relied on by Donald, is teeing up alongside Paul and (Rasmus) Højgaard, who recently claimed his fourth victory during a six-hole play-off at the Made in Himmerland.
“I know the situation and I have to play very good golf the next couple of weeks,” said Højgaard.
“There is some pressure there, but I don’t think that much about it. It’s a goal of mine and I really want to be in Rome. But it’s up to me over the next couple of weeks.”
Meanwhile his twin brother Nicolai, who won 3.5 points from four matches in the Hero Cup for Continental Europe in January after replacing an injured Rasmus, is playing with Francesco Molinari and Ludvig Aberg, who impressed Donald when they played together on the PGA TOUR at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Outside of the Vice Captains, other players in the frame have been grouped together. Meronk, who won in Rome earlier this season, is paired with former Ryder Cup players Lowry and Olesen.
“I’m trying to not put too much pressure on myself and treat each week the same as I’ve always done,” said Meronk.
“If I get nervous and think about the Ryder Cup, I’ll just try to accept it and move on. I’m very excited about the next two weeks and I want to play well.”
With so many players still in the mix, Donald has plenty of scenarios to consider as he gets ready to welcome his automatic qualifiers and choose the remaining members of Team Europe.
“I’m not sure if it was the jetlag last night or lots of things building up, but I was up for a couple of hours in the middle of the night; lots of things whirring through my head: who I should be talking to, next steps, all that sort of stuff," he added.
“It’s becoming more and more as the week gets closer. A lot to digest, I’m trying to take it day by day, but it’s an important week. I’m excited to be very close to finalising those 12 guys.”
