We have our eight automatic qualifiers for the European Ryder Cup team.
They are:
Francesco Molinari
Tyrrell Hatton
Justin Rose
Tommy Fleetwood
Rory McIlroy
Jon Rahm
Alex Noren
Thorbjorn Olesen
It’s a strong eight and will the team will be rounded off by captain Thomas Bjorn’s four picks, due to be announced on Wednesday.
Olesen clinched the final automatic place after England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick failed to win the Made In Denmark event.
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Bjorn has plenty of talent at his disposal. Molinari is the Open champion, Hatton has been a pillar of consistency over the last two years, while in McIlroy, Rahm, Rose and Fleetwood, the Dane has proven winners.
But Bjorn’s toughest decision is yet to come. With four picks, he has a lot of influence on how the final team looks (a lot of the time, the captain only opts for two picks).
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Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey and Henrik Stenson are the veterans relying on a pick to play at Le Golf National in Paris, while others hoping for a phone call from the captain include Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Thomas Pieters, both of whom played in 2016, Fitzpatrick and Eddie Pepperell.
With the USA looking hugely impressive already, Bjorn is under intense pressure to pick the right men. Darren Clarke’s picks in 2016 – Pieters, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer – played poorly at Hazeltine two years ago and Bjorn will be desperate to avoid a similarly unfortunate scenario during his captaincy.
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