Who can still qualify Europe's Ryder Cup team? Who is already guaranteed a spot in Padraig Harrington's side? We look at those in action at the BMW PGA Championship, the final qualifying event, still with a chance of securing a last-minute automatic spot.
Wednesday 8 September 2021 17:53, UK
The Ryder Cup qualification campaign reaches its climax at the BMW PGA Championship, where a host of players can still book a last-minute spot in Padraig Harrington's European side.
Only the top four players in the European Tour points list and the next five on the World Points List after this week's Rolex Series event automatically qualify for Team Europe, with Harrington then naming his three captain's picks on Sunday night in a special announcement show live on Sky Sports.
Just five of the nine players currently in the automatic spots are mathematically guaranteed a place on the team, with world No 1 Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Paul Casey and Viktor Hovland already confirmed to be heading to Whistling Straits later this month.
Rory McIlroy is also assured of a sixth consecutive Ryder Cup appearance but it remains unclear the route he will qualify from, with plenty in action at Wentworth still able to overtake him on the European Points List and put his place via the World Points List instead.
Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick are close to making their second Ryder Cups but aren't mathematically safe on the team just yet, with Lee Westwood and Shane Lowry currently occupying the final two automatic qualification spots and at most risk of dropping out.
McIlroy getting bumped off the European List into the World Points List would see Lowry drop out of his automatic place via the World Points List unless he ends the week inside the top eight, while the Irishman could require an even better finish if Westwood earns world ranking points at Wentworth.
Bernd Wiesberger comes into the week with the strongest chance of breaking into Harrington's team, with the Austrian needing a minimum of a top-50 finish to secure the Race to Dubai points required to overtake McIlroy on the European Points List.
Fitzpatrick could also move above McIlroy in that ranking with a top-24 finish, while Victor Perez needs to end the week inside top-three to have a chance of breaking into the automatic places.
Robert MacIntyre, Guido Migliozzi and Thomas Detry all need a runner-up finish or better to pass McIlroy in those standings, with Richard Bland, Danny Willett, Matthias Schwab, Justin Rose, Rasmus Hojgaard, Calum Hill and Ian Poulter requiring a victory to have a chance of an automatic qualification place.
A tied-15th finish at last week's Italian Open means Henrik Stenson can snatch a last-minute qualification spot with a win, with Alex Noren and Matt Wallace the others who can still break into the automatic places via the World Points List.
Who will qualify for Europe's Ryder Cup team? Watch the BMW PGA Championship throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Thursday with Featured Groups from 8.30am on Sky Sports Golf!
