SHANE LOWRY’S HOPES of making his Ryder Cup debut received a huge boost as he climbed into the automatic qualification places for the first time.
Lowry’s strong recent form continued at The Open where he shot three rounds under par to finish in a tie for 12th behind winner Collin Morikawa.
That result saw Lowry move above France’s Victor Perez into the fifth and final automatic spot allocated via the World Points list.
Pádraig Harrington’s 12-man European team for Whistling Straits will be made up of the top four from the European Points list, the top five from the World Points list, and Harrington’s three captain’s picks — of which Lowry is widely expected to be one, if he does not qualify automatically.
Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton and Matt Fitzpatrick currently occupy the top four spots on the European Points List.
The current top five on the World Points list is Rory McIlroy, Victor Hovland, Paul Casey, Lee Westwood and Lowry.
The cut-off point for automatic qualification is after the BMW PGA Championship on 12 September, with Harrington then set to make his picks before the Ryder Cup begins in Wisconsin on 24 September.
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
