It is quite possible that the European Ryder Cup team will have the exact same team as the winning squad in Rome two years ago—save for the first name of one player who looks exactly like the one he’d be replacing.
Rasmus Højgaard of Denmark earned the sixth and final qualifying spot Sunday at the British Masters played at The Belfry by shooting a final-round 71 and tying for 13th. He needed a two-way tie for 29th to squeeze in, pushing out Ireland’s Shane Lowry who was playing in the Tour Championship and could not earn points at the PGA Tour’s season-ending event.
Højgaard, 24, is the twin brother of Nicolai Højgaard who went 0-2-1 in the European victory two years ago. Nicolai finished in a tie for second at the British Masters.
“I don’t know what to feel,” Højgaard said afterward. “I’ve been so stressed out on the course today. I was telling my caddie, I don’t know how I’m going to be able to do this. I’m over the moon right now.”
Rasmus Højgaard received a congratulatory phone call from European captain Luke Donald and joined the other automatic qualifiers to make the team: Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton.
Lowry is expected to get one of the six at-large picks when the rest of the team is announced on Sept. 1. Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg, Sepp Straka and Matt Fitzpatrick, who tied for sixth at the British Masters, are also believed to be in good shape, which would give the European side 11 of the 12 players who won decisively two years ago.
Others with a chance to be picked are British Masters winner Alex Noren, England’s Marco Penge and England’s Harry Hall, who made it to the Tour Championship.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Final Automatic Qualifying Spot Filled on European Ryder Cup Team.
