The PGA Tour’s best putter this year has a golden opportunity to unexpectedly get on Europe’s Ryder Cup team

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While there is plenty of debate over the final spots on Keegan Bradley’s US Ryder Cup team, Luke Donald’s lineup looks to have considerably fewer question marks hanging over it.

It is entirely possible that Luke Donald picks exactly the same team which won the Ryder Cup in Rome. Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood have confirmed their spots on the team.

Robert MacIntyre, Tyrrell Hatton and Sepp Straka are the three players on course to automatically qualify. Shane Lowry, Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland and Matt Fitzpatrick are inside the top 12. And there is next to no chance of Jon Rahm not getting a pick.

From the outside, Nicolai Hojgaard’s spot is up for grabs. Rasmus Hojgaard could replace his twin at Bethpage, while Matt Wallace is currently 12th in the standings.

But there is one European player further down the standings who should have one huge tick against his name – as he is, statistically, the best putter on the PGA Tour this season.

Europe could have the PGA Tour’s best putter this year in their ranks at Bethpage

The BMW Championship is a brilliant opportunity for a number of players on the periphery of the Ryder Cup debate.

Neither Hojgaard brother managed to make it to the FedEx Cup playoffs. They will both be teeing it up on the DP World Tour this week. But you would imagine that an impressive performance at Caves Valley could be more impactful given that this year’s Ryder Cup will be played on American soil.

Harry Hall is going to need an outstanding week to secure a spot at the Tour Championship. He is currently 45th in the standings. He is also down in 19th in the battle to make Europe’s team.

However, his recent form has been impressive. He has finished inside the top 30 in his last 10 events, including at the PGA Championship and The Open Championship.

Admittedly, some of his statistics do not jump off the page. But there is one which should certainly catch Donald’s eye, with Hall first on the PGA Tour for strokes gained putting this year.

Why Luke Donald may be prepared to take a gamble on Harry Hall ahead of the Ryder Cup

Ultimately, Europe are probably looking for one player – unless Donald and Edoardo Molinari do spring a real surprise. And in truth, if they end up with either Hojgaard brother, they are probably going to be fairly content about their chances.

The 12th man on the team could even end up playing just two sessions. But having someone with Hall’s quality on the greens could be such a game-changer in matchplay. And any points that 12th player does pick up could prove invaluable.

You would imagine that it is imperative that Hall impresses this week at the BMW Championship and gives himself a decent chance of making it to East Lake.

But with Donald and Bradley likely to put some stock in which players have momentum heading into September, Hall finishing the playoffs well could make him impossible for the European skipper to ignore.