Harry Hall may have offered a glimpse into Luke Donald’s thinking Friday when he said that he hasn’t had any recent conversations with the European Ryder Cup captain.
Hall, who was inside the top 5 at the BMW Championship when he finished his second round at Caves Valley, was believed to be under consideration for one of the final spots on Donald’s team.
However, Hall, 28, who would be a Ryder Cup rookie, said that he hasn’t spoken recently with Donald and hasn’t been fit for a team uniform, which is generally standard practice for those who are in contention to make the squad. Hall said he’ll communicate with Donald every “now and then.”
“It has been the last couple weeks,” Hall said of whether the Ryder Cup has been on his mind. But that right now, he said, he’s “just trying to play golf.”
Hall began the week 45th in the FedExCup standings as he tries to play his way into the Tour Championship for the first time.
With a week and a half to go in qualifying, Donald’s team could look strikingly familiar to the one that was victorious in Rome two years ago. It’s possible that 11 or all 12 players who were on the 2023 squad could run it back again this time at Bethpage Black, with as few as one spot up for grabs.
Rasmus Hojgaard, who is currently eighth on the European points list after a strong end to the 2024 season, leads this week’s DP World Tour event in his native Denmark with two rounds to play. Hojgaard failed to make the PGA Tour’s postseason, ranking 85th in FedExCup points. His twin brother, Nicolai, played on the 2023 Ryder Cup team (going 0-2-1), and is another contender to rejoin the team for a second time.
The Englishman Hall, meanwhile, is the top-ranked putter on Tour, leads the circuit in birdie average, ranks second in actual scoring average and has been one of the most consistent would-be contenders, with four top-10 finishes.
“It would be massive,” Hall said of the Ryder Cup. “I remember growing up, and Phil Rowe, my assistant coach in college (at UNLV), he was my idol growing up, and he played in the Walker Cup in 1999. We have his bag in the clubhouse.
“And people always used to say, ‘H, are you going to put a Walker Cup bag up there one day?’ And I always said, ‘A Ryder Cup one.’”
After qualifying ends on Aug. 24, following the British Masters, Donald will announce his six captain’s picks on Sept. 1.
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