Tommy Fleetwood has moved into the final automatic qualification spot on the World Points List following his tied tenth finish at The 151st Open Championship, won by America’s Brian Harman.
Held at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, just 30 miles from his hometown of Southport, the Englishman got off to a fast start firing an opening round of 66 to sit at five-under-par.
Rounds of 71-71-72 followed, which was enough for Fleetwood to finish in a tie for tenth and earn enough World Points to replace Ryder Cup teammate Matt Fitzpatrick in the third qualifying position, with 158.33 points.
Although yet to win so far this year, Fleetwood has been in consistent form which includes six top ten finishes.
Should the 32-year-old make Luke Donald’s team in September, it will be his third consecutive Ryder Cup appearance for Team Europe.
Sepp Straka improved his chances of making a Ryder Cup debut at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club after a tied second finish at Hoylake.
The Austrian fired rounds of 71-67-70-69 for a seven-under-par total and climbed to seventh on the World Points List with 141.82 points.
Also sharing a tie for second place was two-time Ryder Cup player and current Masters Champion Jon Rahm, who’s third round 63 was the lowest of the week.
The two-time Major champion currently qualifies via the European Points List where he sits in second place with 3,417.23 points, although also tops the World Points List with 388.57 points.
The only man ahead of Rahm on the European Points List is Rory McIlroy, who finished in a tie for sixth at the venue where he won his first Claret Jug back in 2014.
As it stands McIlroy (4,033.50 points), Rahm (3,417.23 points) and Robert MacIntyre (1,743.57 points) sit in the three automatic qualifying spots on the European Points List, with Viktor Hovland (265.75 points), Tyrrell Hatton (195.51 points) and Fleetwood (158.33 points) in the top three positions on the World Points List.
The 2023 Ryder Cup will take place between September 25 – October 1 at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, Rome, Italy.
Click here to see full rankings.
