Runners and Ryders: Olesen in pole position but Englishmen have shot
AND then there were three. Working out the various permutations of Ryder Cup qualifying can often be as taxing on the heid as the mental agility round on an old episode of the Krypton Factor.
Thomas Bjorn, the European captain, already has seven players – Francesco Molinari, Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Alex Noren – locked in to his 12-man team.
The final automatic place will be decided at the end of this week’s Made in Denmark event before Bjorn completes the make-up of his side for the tussle with the US in Paris with his four-wild card picks next week.
Thorbjorn Olesen will earn a Ryder Cup debut if he achieves a top-six finish in his home event come Sunday. However, should the 28-year-old finish down the order then Eddie Pepperell and Matthew Fitzpatrick both have a chance to plunder that last remaining berth.
Fitzpatrick, who made his Ryder Cup debut at Hazeltine in 2016, would have to win in Denmark and hope Olesen doesn’t finish better than tied seventh with two other players in order to pinch eighth place.
Pepperell also requires a victory but would only qualify if he does pull off a last gasp win and Olesen finishes outside the top 12.
Rafa Cabrera Bello, Paul Casey and Ian Poulter were all unable to make up enough ground during last week’s Northern Trust Open to unseat Olesen from eighth place in the qualifying rankings, and are all now hoping for a wild card pick along with Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson and Thomas Pieters.
“It always comes down to the last qualifying event that somebody can do something so as a captain you want to see them go out and take control of the situation,” said Bjorn.
In the US, Scotsman Russell Knox would need a win in Boston to have any chance of a pick. Stranger things have happened...