Ryder Cup contender braced for 'super, super stressful' last day in qualifying battle
Rasmus Hojgaard shows ‘grit’ in Betfred British Masters to have last automatic spot in his grasp
Rasmus Hojgaard is bracing himself for a “super, super stressful” day as he bids to claim the last automatic spot on Europe’s Ryder Cup team at the end of a year-long qualifying campaign.
The Dane needs to finish in a two-way tie for 29th or better in the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo at The Belfry to pick up the 13.7 points that would take him above Lowry in the final points table in the battle for six guaranteed places in the team for next month’s match at Bethpage Black.
For the second day running at the Sutton Coldfield venue, Hojgaard ran up a double-bogey 6 on the front nine to put himself under a bit of pressure, but, to his credit, he dug deep on both occasions.
Helped by an eagle at the par-5 17th, he salvaged a 71 on Friday to sit joint-14th at the halfway stage and, making an eagle-2 at the iconic tenth hole on the Brabazon Course, he signed for a 69 in Saturday’s penultimate circuit.
On seven under, the 24-year-old is still in the same position heading into Sunday’s last round and one more solid effort should be enough to see him join Rory McIlroy, Bob MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and Tyrell Hatton as an automatic qualifier before Donald announces six captain’s picks on Monday week.
“Yeah, it has been stressful. I am not going to lie,” Hojgaard told The Scotsman. “I’ve had two days in a row now where I’ve got off to a not so good start.
“I’ve had to show some grit out there to stay in it and try and climb my way back into the tournament. I am very happy with where I am right now with the stuff I’ve been through.
“We’ll see what happens tomorrow. I am going to go out and battle with everything I have. I know it is going to be super, super stressful. The only thing I can do is try and embrace it in a way. I know that sounds a bit cliche. But, if I don’t, then it is going to be difficult. Yeah, whatever tomorrow brings I am going to try and be ready for it.”
The Belfry, of course, is steeped in Ryder Cup history and Hojgaard certainly enjoyed making his 2 at the tenth, where players are faced with a big dilemma as they decide on going for the green or laying up with a short iron.
“Today it was a perfect yardage for my 3-iron, but you still have to hit a great shot to put it on the green and, luckily for me, I did that today and it was nice to get a bit of momentum going,” said a smiling Hojgaard.
He has played all three of his rounds so far in the company of former Ryder Cup player Alex Noren, who shot an eye-catching 65 to catapult himself into the clubhouse lead in the $3.5 million event on 11 under.
“I know Alex quite well,” said Hojgaard of his fellow Scandinavian, who won the Genesis Scottish Open at Castle Stuart in 2016. “We have played a lot together and he’s a lovely guy.
“It is nice to see him play well as it keeps you sharp out there seeing him make a lot of birdies. Yeah, I definitely enjoyed his company over the last three days.”
Alex Noren rules himself out of Ryder Cup reckoning
Noren, who missed seven months of the Ryder Cup qualification process due to injury, insisted he doesn’t see himself forcing his way into the mix for one of those captain’s picks.
“I'm not really focusing on that,” said the 43-year-old, who played on a winning team under Thomas Bjorn in 2018 in France. “I'm focusing more on my game - that’s all I am trying to do. I haven't played enough of those tournaments with the big boys.”
Nicolai Hojgaard, Rasmus’s twin brother and a member of the winning team in Rome two years ago, kept his outside hopes of being involved again alive after storming home in 29, including four birdies to finish, to sit three shots ahead of his sibling on ten under.
“I just hope that Ras gets on that team now and secure that spot this week,” he said. “I thought after last week, I was out of it. But I'll do my best these two weeks to prove that hopefully I'll be worth a spot.”
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