Rasmus Hojgaard is not eligible for the FedEx Cup playoffs, nor does he win the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo at Belfry Golf Course. But when he digs into the final round to lead 13th, his mission is completed.
Hojgaard is ranked seventh in the European Ryder Cup. No scores in the Tour Championship, Hojgaard needed to lead the 29th or higher this week to get the sixth and final auto-qualifying location in September and voted for Bethpage Black in September. After securing his position, Hojgaard snatched his fist and hugged his caddie before receiving a call from Captain Luke Donald.
“Welcome to Europe!” Donald said. “How does it feel?”
“It feels great,” Hojgaard replied. “I don’t think I’ve been stressed before, hitting the last few holes, but, it’s cool!”
Sunday was a stressful journey for Rasmus. He opened the birds with 2, 3 and 4 and then bogeed 4 on the next eight holes to increase the pressure drop. But a birdie at 5-15 gave him a lift and he brought it to the house to secure his first Ryder Cup seat.
“I don’t know what it will feel right now,” Hoygard said after the round. “I was very stressed in the class today. I told Tom that my caddies were there and I didn’t know how I was going to do that. You know, I managed to do a good four year old there.
Hojgaard skips Shane Lowry on the standings to ensure the final automatic qualifying location. He joined Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton and Robert MacIntyre to be the top six in securing the attractions for the European team.
Hojgaard was not a member of the 2023 defeat of the Roman Americans, but he attended Marco Simone. Donald and his crew, together with his twin brother Nicolai, chose to use Rasmus as an off-road vehicle driver so he could join the team.
Although Hojgaard jumped Lowry in the standings, the Irish would almost certainly get the captain’s draft pick from Donald. The Europeans are expected to bring back 11 of the 12 members of the 2023 award-winning team, while Rasmus replaced Nicolai, the only change. Donald will make six captain draft picks on September 1.
If Rasmus Hojgaard is considered the final draft pick for the candidate if he is not eligible on Sunday. But with Hojgaard now locked in the team, hopes for the likes of Sergio Garcia, Marco Penge or Harry Hall can all be dashed, as Donald’s captain’s draft pick now appears to have been designated as six members for 2023.
