The Ryder Cup is just around the corner now, and excitement is building ahead of the 45th edition of one of the most famous competitions in sport.
As the best players on the PGA Tour gather for the Tour Championship this week, one Ryder Cup hopeful will not be at East Lake.
Luke Donald will lead out his European team at Bethpage Black in September as they look to defend the Ryder Cup trophy, with Keegan Bradley and his US team desperate to win it back.
The Americans have big concerns right now with the likes of Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa showing poor form ahead of the Ryder Cup.
Team USA also have a small issue with Bryson DeChambeau not being allowed to join the rest of the Ryder Cup team at the Procore Championship in Napa two weeks before the showdown at Bethpage.
Conversely, the European team seems to be fairly well settled, and spirits in the camp are high at the moment.
Donald performed superbly in his role as captain in Rome in 2023, but winning on American soil will be a different kettle of fish for him and his players.
While the European team is shaping up nicely, Donald still has one or two selection dilemmas that will be playing on his mind.
PGA Tour player could play at the Ryder Cup despite missing the Tour Championship
Rasmus Hojgaard‘s best result this season was a second place finish at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in April, while playing alongside his twin brother – Nicolai.
However, since then his best finish on the PGA Tour was a tie for 16th at The Open Championship in July. He’s also recorded a tie for 23rd, a tie for 34th, a bunch of really low finishes and two missed cuts – hardly inspiring form is it?
Hojgaard finished in 85th spot in the FedEx Cup points list, so he missed out on the playoffs entirely.
As it has transpired, though, that may have actually been a blessing in disguise for him.
Had he pushed his way inside the top 70 to qualify for the FedEx St. Jude Championship and then progressed on from there to the BMW Championship and then the Tour Championship, he might not have had such a straightforward route to playing at Bethpage Black next month.
That’s because there are no Ryder Cup points available at East Lake this week, while there are plenty on offer at The British Masters on the DP World Tour.
In fact, the 24-year-old Dane only has to finish inside the top 29 at the Belfry in order to leapfrog Sepp Straka and Shane Lowry into sixth place in the European Ryder Cup standings.
Tour Championship boost for Rasmus Hojgaard ahead of the Ryder Cup
If he does not qualify for Donald’s team automatically, it is widely believed that he will not receive a captain’s pick, due to his poor recent form.
The current top 10 players in the standings will definitely play at the Ryder Cup aside from Hojgaard, leaving three places that are still very much up for grabs.
As it stands, Donald will definitely take Jon Rahm to Bethpage, while Harry Hall and Matt Fitzpatrick are expected to board the plane to New York as well.
However, if Hojgaard does earn the final qualification spot, then one of Hall or Fitzpatrick will most likely miss out.
It’s all still very much up in the air right now, but it is truly bizarre how Hojgaard not qualifying for the Tour Championship has actually given him a better chance of qualifying for the European Ryder Cup team.
He’ll be desperate to play well at the British Masters this week, and make Donald’s decision for him in the process.
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