“Welcome to Team Europe!”
Those were the congratulatory words of European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, who was calling Rasmus Hojgaard just moments after the 24-year-old Dane locked up one of six automatic spots on Donald’s team that will compete Sept. 26-28 at Bethpage Black.
By not qualifying for this week’s Tour Championship at East Lake, it afforded Hojgaard the chance to tee it up in the DP World Tour’s Betfred British Masters. He entered the week needing a two-way tie for 29th to earn enough points to leapfrog Shane Lowry for sixth in points.
And following a 1-under 71 on Sunday, Hojgaard accomplished his goal with a few shots to spare, tying for 13th.
“I don’t know what to feel,” Hojgaard told reporters 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.”
Hojgaard, who will make his Ryder Cup debut two years after his twin brother, Nicolai, did the same in Rome, joined fellow automatic qualifiers Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton.
Rasmus Hojgaard was a buggy driver in Rome in 2023.
Six captain’s picks are planned for Sept. 1, with Lowry, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg, Sepp Straka and Matt Fitzpatrick (T-6 at British Masters) among the favorites to claim those.
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