Matt Fitzpatrick is one round away from clinching a spot on the European Ryder Cup team
Matthew Fitzpatrick is close to clinching a spot on the European Ryder Cup team.
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On Tuesday, with six automatic qualifiers already locked in at the conclusion of the BMW Championship, U.S. Ryder captain Cup Zach Johnson announced his six captain’s picks. Now, it’s nearly Europe’s turn.
The last event of the DP World Tour’s Ryder Cup qualification window, the Omega European Masters, is being played in Switzerland this week. That means this tournament is the final opportunity for players to lock in an automatic berth on Luke Donald’s European team.
Four players have already claimed their spots: Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Viktor Hovland. Two automatic berths remain: one spot from the European Points List, and one from the World Points List. Donald will then make his six captain’s picks on Monday.
Tommy Fleetwood currently holds the final spot on the World Points list, but he isn’t playing this week. Right behind him is Matt Fitzpatrick, who just so happens to be leading the European Masters by two shots through three rounds.
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The best news for Fitzpatrick? He doesn’t even have to win to leapfrog Fleetwood. All he needs to do is finish tied for 7th with one other player or better to claim the automatic spot.
On the European Points List side, Scottish player Robert MacIntyre is currently in the best position to take the final spot. He’s T56 through three rounds in Switzerland, but a top-three finish by Yannik Paul (currently T16), a T2 from Adrian Meronk (T16), or a win from Adrian Otaegui (T60) could potentially displace him.
Regardless of what happens to Fitzpatrick on Sunday, he’ll still likely merit a pick from Donald, despite his Ryder Cup record of 0-5-0 in two appearances.
With all the uncertainty still swirling around Team Europe, one thing’s for sure: Sunday’s final round will be well worth watching.
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