Rasmus Hojgaard didn’t qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs, nor did he win the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo on Sunday at The Belfry Golf Course. But when he tapped in to finish off his final-round 71 to tie for 13th place, his mission was accomplished.
Hojgaard entered the week in seventh place in Team Europe’s Ryder Cup standings. With no points awarded at the Tour Championship, Hojgaard needed to tie for 29th or better this week to snag the sixth and final automatic qualifying spot and punch his ticket to Bethpage Black in September. After securing his spot, Hojgaard pumped his fist and embraced his caddie before receiving a call from captain Luke Donald.
“Welcome to Team Europe!” Donald said. “How does it feel?”
“It feels amazing,” Hojgaard responded. “I don’t think I’ve been that stressed out before, playing the last few holes, but yeah, it was pretty cool!”
Sunday was a stressful ride for Rasmus. He opened with birdies at 2, 3 and 4 before making four bogeys over his next eight holes to increase the pressure coming down the stretch. But a birdie at the par-5 15th gave him a boost, and he steered it in the house to secure his first Ryder Cup spot.
“I don’t know what to feel right now,” Hojgaard said after the round. “I’ve been so stressed out on the course today. I was telling Tom, my caddie out there, I don’t know how I’m going to be able to do this. You know, I managed to make a good four in the end there. So yeah, I’m over the moon right now.”
Hojgaard jumped over Shane Lowry in the standings to secure the final automatic qualifying spot. He joins Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton and Robert MacIntyre as the first six to secure spots for Team Europe.
Hojgaard wasn’t a member of the 2023 team that beat the Americans in Rome, but he was present at Marco Simone. With his twin brother, Nicolai, on the roster, Donald and his staff elected to bring Rasmus on board as a buggy driver so he could be around the team.
While Hojgaard jumped Lowry in the standings, the Irishman almost certainly will earn a captain’s pick from Donald. The Europeans are expected to bring back 11 of the 12 members from their 2023-winning team, with Rasmus replacing Nicolai as the only change. Donald will make his six captain’s picks on Sept. 1. Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg, Sepp Straka, Matt Fitzpatrick and Lowry are the favorites to hear their names called that day.
Rasmus Hojgaard was considered a possible candidate to receive the final captain’s pick if he did not qualify on Sunday. But with Hojgaard now locked on the team, any hope for the likes of Sergio Garcia, Marco Penge or Harry Hall is likely dashed as Donald’s captain’s picks now appear to be earmarked for six members of the 2023 team.
While American Captain Keegan Bradley agonizes over his decision, Rasmus Hojgaard appears to have made life easy for Donald, whose roster now seems to be set barring an unforeseen curveball.
This article originated on Golf.com
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