Rasmus Højgaard Secures Final Automatic Ryder Cup Spot Over Shane Lowry

Rasmus Højgaard secured the final automatic qualifying spot for the European Ryder Cup team by finishing tied for 13th at the British Masters, surpassing Shane Lowry, who cannot earn points at the Tour Championship and thus must rely on a captain's pick. Højgaard, 24, will make his Ryder Cup debut at Bethpage Black, joining automatic qualifiers Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, and Tyrrell Hatton. His twin brother Nicolai Højgaard was part of the winning European team two years ago in Rome but did not qualify automatically this time. European captain Luke Donald is expected to announce six captain’s picks soon, with Lowry, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg, Sepp Straka, and Matt Fitzpatrick among the likely selections. Donald acknowledged the challenge of deciding the picks due to many players pushing for a spot but expressed excitement about the competition. Overall, the European team will be largely unchanged from the 2023 winning squad, aiming for a first road Ryder Cup win in over a decade.