Fourth-placed finish lifts Dane into an automatic qualifying position
Monday 20 August 2018 00:11, UK
Thorbjorn Olesen moved into an automatic qualifying position for the European Ryder Cup team thanks to another solid performance at the Nordea Masters.
The 28-year-old finished in fourth place at Hills Golf Club, two shots behind the leading pair Paul Waring, who prevailed after a play-off, and Thomas Aiken.
The in-form Dane, who ended his round with back-to-back birdies, has now claimed five top-six finishes in his last nine events and as a result of his efforts in Sweden he has moved ahead of Ian Poulter, who had occupied the final qualifying position, and Paul Casey on the world points list.
Olesen, who won the Italian Open in June, remains in sixth place on the European points list but has closed the gap on fourth-placed Tommy Fleetwood to just under 60,000 points.
He will be sitting out next week's Czech Masters but will be back in action on home soil the following week in the Made In Denmark tournament, after which the automatic qualifiers - the top four on both lists - for next month's Ryder Cup at Le Golf National in Paris will be confirmed.
"There's always a lot of pressure when we play in Denmark and probably a little bit extra this time," Olesen told the European Tour's official website after completing his round in Gothenburg.
"I've been playing great for three or four months so that will probably add a bit more pressure but if I can keep grinding and working like I did this week and last week to get better the results will come.
"I didn't have my A-game today and half the round yesterday and in that way finishing top five is a pretty good result."
Poulter and Casey are set to feature in the Northern Trust, the first event of the FedEx Cup play-off series, next week and will be hoping to move back ahead of Olesen.
Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn also has four wild card selections and Olesen will surely be a leading contender for one of his compatriot's picks if he fails to hold on to an automatic berth.
Speaking ahead of the Nordea Masters, Olesen said: "I would love to be in Paris, to play for Europe. I can only go out every day and try to play good golf and show that I'm good enough for the team. That's all I can do.
"Thomas and I are great friends. I don't think that makes it better for me, it might make it worse. I would love to get in that team, in the top eight, that's my goal."
Other players who are likely to be in the mix for a wild card selection include Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Russell Knox, Rafa Cabrera Bello and Matthew Fitzpatrick.
Cabrera Bello and Stenson both fired six-under 64s in the final round of the Wyndham Championship on Sunday to finish on 14 under and 13 under respectively, while Fitzpatrick closed with a 68 to end up on 10 under.
"I've been struggling on the greens for a few weeks so it was nice to roll a few in," said Stenson. "At least a little part of what we left out there the first three days, we got that back in the final round.
"Obviously we're a little bit out of direct qualification. He [Bjorn] has got my number and I guess I'll just have to wait next to the telephone."
Garcia was only four shots from the lead starting the final round but did not help his cause with a mediocre closing 70 to finish tied for 24th on 12 under.
Matt Wallace, who has won two European Tour events this year, is also hoping to make a late bid for the team after adding the Czech Masters to his schedule.
The 28-year-old Englishman, who claimed his best finish in a major when tying for 19th in the PGA Championship last week, told Sky Sports: "I want to give it my best chance as possible. It will obviously take something special to do that but I'm not ruling it out.
"I added that [event] to my schedule last week and it's something that I'm really striving for. I'm going there with a lot of confidence next week after my highest place [in a major] in the PGA and hoping to catch Thomas' eye."
