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There is just one tournament left before the European Ryder Cup standings are finalised and we’ll know which six players have secured automatic qualification to Luke Donald’s side for next month’s event at Bethpage Black.
The European selection process was tweaked for 2025 to enable Donald as much flexibility as possible in his selection, with the weighting of events altered and six wildcard spots up for grabs.
The British Masters this weekend sees the qualification period conclude and there are five players locked into the six automatic spots already, with just one left up for grabs.
Rory McIlroy, Bob MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and Tyrrell Hatton have all sealed qualification for New York, with Shane Lowry currently occupying the last place. But he can be leapfrogged by Rasmus Hojgaard and it’s all in the Dane’s hands as to whether he seals the deal.
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Rasmus Hojgaard can leapfrog both Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka in the European standings this week with a strong finish at the British Masters (rydercup.com)
Here’s what Hojgaard needs for a Ryder Cup debut:
What does Hojgaard need to do to qualify?
The final event of the qualification period is the British Masters being played at the Belfry this week. Interestingly, there are no points available for the conclusion of the FedEx Cup play-offs – the Tour Championship at East Lake.
Lowry, who sits sixth in the Ryder Cup standings, will be competing at the latter event, as will seventh-placed Sepp Straka, meaning eighth-placed Hojgaard has a free run at leapfrogging both men to claim the automatic spot.
To do that, he needs a top-30 finish at the Belfry and given that he has finished 16th and third at the last two British Masters, he will fancy his chances.
It has been a slightly uninspiring year for Hojgaard but he started the qualification period well in 2024 to rack up some early points and has shown signs of life over the past few weeks with a top-20 at the Open at Portrush, a T-34 at the Wyndham Championship and then coming second at the Danish Championship last week. That was a lower-grade event but he played well and there aren’t tons of big names at the British Masters that should scare him.
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Rasmus Hojgaard’s Ryder Cup fate is in his own hands (Getty Images)
Can anyone else snatch the final spot?
In short, no. With the likes of Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland (lying ninth and 10th in the standings) and surprise package Harry Hall also playing the Tour Championship alongside Lowry and Straka, they can’t improve their position. If Hojgaard gets a top 30, he’s in, if not then the spot will go to Lowry.
The likes of Matt Wallace, Aaron Rai and Hojgaard’s twin brother Nicolai – who was on the 2023 Ryder Cup team in Rome – are playing at the Belfry but are too far back in the Ryder Cup standings to grab an automatic qualification spot, even with victory. Although of course, a win for any of them could force Donald’s hand when it comes to wildcard selection, especially if Hojgaard fails to seal his top-30 finish. So there’s plenty to play for.