Ryder Cup wildcard options ahead of 2023 contest between Europe and USA

August 28 update

• Written following the Czech Masters

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Nicolai Hojgaard

How much Luke Donald values winning may determine whether Hojgaard makes the team. Ultimately, that's something he hasn't managed since February 2022, 18 months ago and long before Ryder Cup qualification began. Everything else about his profile, from a course win and his form this summer to how he played in the Hero Cup, would make him an exceptionally strong candidate.

Here in Prague, only Wil Besseling hit it better. Hojgaard had countless opportunities over the first three rounds and then missed a four-foot putt for birdie at the first hole in round four. Thereafter, his long-game may not have quite been where he needed it to be and the rain which transformed the par-fives into wedge contests worked against him. So did the speed of the greens – he's putted far better in the USA this year.

Still we saw a heck of a lot of what makes him special and I hope this performance was all Donald needed. Nicolai would be less suited to Crans than his twin brother, albeit he showed what he can do there with a Saturday charge last August, and it would be strange to mark him down on any stumble next week. This tournament, held on a very similar course to that which hosts the Ryder Cup, is a far better test. Hojgaard passed.

Robert MacIntyre

I think he's in and have done since he was runner-up to Rory McIlroy in the Scottish Open, but MacIntyre clearly wants to qualify and remove all doubt. What an effort this was to enhance his chances, moving that little bit further clear of Yannik Paul thanks to two clutch putts at the final two holes on Sunday. What more does he need to do?

I would argue nothing, but I'll say this: without being cruel to Paul, a promising player, it would be a major blow to Europe were he to qualify. The German has very limited experience at the highest level, something MacIntyre has in spades, and while MacIntyre would be selected anyway, Paul qualifying effectively takes a selection out of Donald's hands.

To do that, Paul will need to beat MacIntyre and finish T3 or better on what is his debut at Crans. Should he manage it then he will of course be fully deserving of a Ryder Cup debut which will otherwise have to wait.

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Ludvig Aberg

Frankly I have no idea what Donald thinks about Aberg, except that he's a future superstar who is good enough to be considered even this early on in his professional career. Some find that concept hard to grasp, and I thought Mark Roe did a good job of articulating his concerns during Sky Sports' coverage of the Czech Masters. Others think he's ready right now.

Anyone else, and it would be hard to say that T4 represents anything other than a positive move, but I wonder whether Aberg needed to win there or in Switzerland in order to earn the benefit of the doubt. If that's the case, you would think his best chance was Prague, where conditions were ideal as he showed with three very good rounds.

Saturday's frustrating 71 might just leave him with more to do. Then again, Donald might've decided that he's seen enough, and that the Swede is going to be a wildcard in the purest sense.

Matt Wallace

Had Wallace won on Sunday, which he came so close to doing, many would've been prepared to find space for him on the team. After all, that would've been silverware on both sides of the Atlantic, both times getting the better of Nicolai Hojgaard. He was unlucky to miss out in 2018 and would've been unlucky to miss out again five years later.

As I've written further down when discussing Adrian Meronk, it feels plain wrong to suggest that the difference between first and second in one tournament could be the difference between making the team and not. But with so many good options, I think it might well be. In fact I think Wallace might've needed two wins, let alone one, to sneak into that team room.

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Yannik Paul

Quite simply, it looks like he'll have to win the European Masters or something very close to that to qualify, and a pick appears less likely given how well some of his contemporaries have been playing. His prospects may have only take a small hit, but finishing behind MacIntyre was a hit nonetheless.

Rasmus Hojgaard

We come back to that question: how much does Donald value wins? Because Rasmus has four to Nicolai's two, and one of them came earlier this summer on home soil. He was a bit fortunate to win but he was also brilliant throughout Sunday, which propelled him into the Ryder Cup reckoning following a frustrating six months.

The trouble is, he's since gone MC-MC-39, failing to finish off his final-round charge in the Czech Masters. In 2023 as a whole he has three top-10s in 13, always when his putter has come alive. For the most part he has driven it poorly, though there were good signs in that regard last week. But for a single piece of form he would have next to no chance of making the side.

My view has always been that he's behind Nicolai in the pecking order and, having been a long way behind him in Prague, such that he could go and follow his brother's progress, he might need to win in Switzerland. At least that's something he's done before.

Adrien Dumont de Chassart

I've never felt that Dumont de Chassart held realistic prospects of making this year's Ryder Cup side. The fact is that while yes, he's achieved plenty since turning professional, it has been at Korn Ferry Tour level. Just as Europe wouldn't consider Matteo Manassero, a two-time Challenge Tour winner in 2023, the Belgian couldn't be selected on that alone.

But we must presume that he came to Europe and will remain next week for the European Masters because the captaincy team, featuring his compatriot Nicolas Colsaerts, had told him that he could yet turn heads with a massive fortnight. Halfway through it, nothing short of a win in Switzerland would so much as earn him a proper place in the conversation following a missed cut in Prague.

All that being said, he did offer a glimpse into a very bright future. One of the best drivers in the field and gaining well over a stroke per round from tee to green, the youngster simply didn't make a putt. Perhaps it's little wonder that those coming over from the US struggled on what were extremely slow greens, a fact which cost Matt Wallace and Nicolai Hojgaard in the end.

Adrian Meronk

A course winner in May and one of the standout DP World Tour players of the season, maybe Meronk is already on the 'definites' list. That would be justified: he's won three times in 15 months, all of them significant titles, and has established himself as a world-class driver, precisely the profile you want heading out to Marco Simone.

But if Donald had doubts, they might just have doubled. Meronk didn't just score poorly in finishing 62nd, but he spiralled, unable to do as Robert MacIntyre did and respond to a setback. Standing in the ninth fairway at the very end of his second round, the Pole dunked his wedge into water. Returning for his next hole on Saturday, he made eight. Two more double-bogeys followed during the course of the weekend.

At any other time we'd all gladly put it down as one of those weeks, especially as he'd been out since the Open. The trouble is, there are any number of options for Donald. This isn't three players for two spots or anything like it. There will be players left at home who will feel they were deserving of selection. Only Donald knows whether Meronk has just joined that list and Crans isn't a course he'd choose if he needs to get off it at the last moment.

Victor Perez

Given that he finished 11th, it might seem strange to include Perez in this section, but he wasn't given a Ryder Cup grouping and didn't do enough, in terms of inserting himself into the tournament, to convince those watching that he's the same player who won in Abu Dhabi at the beginning of the year.

Back then, Perez looked a highly likely qualifier, but he's going to need a pick and, just as was the case two years ago, he might just be unfortunate. Timing is everything and as others have emerged this summer, Perez, who played so well at the PGA Championship in May, has been just that bit too quiet. With a record of MC-50-MC at Crans, it seems unlikely that will change.

Perhaps his draw in Prague reflects the fact that Donald and his team know what they'd be getting, but right know it's not a compelling prospect even if he did go close to winning at Marco Simone in September. Perez might be this generation's unlucky one.

Alex Bjork

On a long, soft course which isn't really ideal for him, Bjork was the halfway leader in Prague, having been given a Ryder Cup grouping for the first two days. During that time he reminded us all that he's the best putter Europe has at its disposal, and despite his short driving he did finish fourth at Marco Simone back in May.

Then came round three and four bogeys in the opening six holes. It's a pattern we've seen just that bit too often from a player in his absolute prime but unable to really make it count. Sunday's bogey-free 68 only served as a reminder that he has struggled to play his best when the pressure is on and while Crans suits, nothing short of victory will do.

Pablo Larrazabal

No longer able to qualify and no factor in Prague, Larrazabal can surely be crossed off the list if he was on it to begin with. His magic hands could make him a threat in Switzerland, where he has one top-10 finish in 12 but appears to have figured the course out the more he's played it. I don't think even a win would do.

Adrian Otaegui

In need of a win to hold any chance of qualifying and any chance, you would think, of being selected, Otaegui heads to a course he's played seven times without bettering 40th.

August 21 update

• Written following the BMW Championship

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Justin Thomas

If any American wildcard hopeful came out best from the BMW Championship, it might be the one who didn't play in it. Justin Thomas must surely have been happy with the outcome at Olympia Fields, where the pick of the home contingent were already guaranteed places on Zach Johnson's team.

Lucas Glover played fine, but that magic wand of his went missing and he finished 22nd. A shot behind him were Collin Morikawa and Rickie Fowler, with Keegan Bradley another shot further back. All of them were in obscurity, playing well enough without demanding selection. None will begin the TOUR Championship with a strong chance to capture the FedEx Cup.

There was always a scenario in which Thomas benefited from sitting on the sidelines, and barring Glover's Southwind victory it's played out so far. Fowler and Bradley have been quiet. Sam Burns shot 62 but his other seven rounds amount to little. Tony Finau has finished in the bottom half of both fields. Denny McCarthy's season is over and Russell Henley, the pick of the bunch last week, will need something extraordinary from here.

Thomas is odds-on with the few firms who've priced this market up. Suddenly, I can see why.

Sepp Straka

It's semi-absurd that the fate of any golfer could come down to a FedEx Cup point or two, given the way that system operates, but it could where Straka is concerned. Scraping into the TOUR Championship by what amounted to a single shot in effect gives the Austrian four more rounds and strengthens the case for selection.

Should he play abysmally at East Lake, then a blessing could soon turn into a curse, but any professional golfer would back themselves to take advantage of the extra 72 holes and it was clear how much Sunday's game display in Chicago meant to him. He might not be on my side, but he's on most, and that likely includes Donald.

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Seamus Power

Heading this section for the second week running, Power's drift down the Ryder Cup market continues. He finished 48th of 49 in the BMW Championship and was 18-over for his two FedEx Cup Playoffs appearances, which is all he'll get having failed to advance to East Lake.

Power has entered the Omega European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre next week, but it feels safe to say he would now need to win that title. And I'm not sure even that should be considered enough given the way he's played throughout 2023, a world away from his late-2022 form that earned odds-on quotes for a Ryder Cup debut.

Robert MacIntyre

Though still odds-on for selection, and a player I firmly expect to make the side, MacIntyre has to feature among the negatives list having missed the cut in the ISPS Handa World Invitational. Conditions played their part and he fell foul of them on Friday, nevertheless it was a shame he couldn't battle through to the weekend.

All he'll need to do for that to be quickly forgotten is play well across the next fortnight, under likely friendlier conditions, and with the first event taking place on a course which suits him well. MacIntyre holds onto the final European points list place. He's missed his free hit but it shouldn't matter when all is said and done.

Tony Finau

Along with Sam Burns, Tony Finau's prospects have arguably never looked bleaker. I'd have made him a virtual certainty when he won in Mexico and still fancied him to do something in these Playoffs, but despite some top-class ball-striking rounds in each of the last two weeks, that something is yet to arrive.

Finau will now begin the TOUR Championship eight strokes behind Scottie Scheffler. Would it be enough to be the best player this week, even if that means finishing fourth or fifth in the FedEx Cup? I'm not sure.

August 14 update

• Written following the FedEx St. Jude Championship

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Lucas Glover

Glover made it back-to-back wins with a play-off victory at Southwind on Sunday. Having ended 15 of his last 17 rounds inside the top 10, he is plainly the form pick on the PGA Tour right now and calls for his inclusion have grown louder as a result, which is not difficult to understand. He can no longer qualify automatically for the US side but would be very close were he to make it a hat-trick this week, at which point his selection would be guaranteed.

For now there remains some doubt for those of us who don't have Zach Johnson's number. With Brian Harman and Wyndham Clark already in the side and set to make their respective debuts along with Max Homa, Glover may be battling the likes of Tony Finau, Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley for one or two spots, assuming that Fred Couples' radio revelation that Cam Young is in proves reliable.

These are players who not only have represented the USA in past Ryder Cups with real distinction, but to a man they've been involved at some stage at the very highest level in recent years, something Glover hasn't really managed for more than a decade. His desire to play is obvious and his very recent credentials are flawless, but there's always a bigger picture and this one brings some top-class players into calculations.

His remains the most dramatic rise as he simply was not a part of wildcard conversations until last Sunday. The question now is how much, if anything, does he have left to do?

Justin Rose

After round one of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, Rose had thrown doubt over his own Ryder Cup prospects. They'd appeared solid since his February win at Pebble Beach all the way through to June, but three missed cuts in four from the US Open through to Hoylake came at the very worst time. Then he returned with a nightmare 76 to prop up the leaderboard.

Thankfully for Rose there was no cut, and a second-round 67 to climb to 62nd paved the way for a third-round 61 to move to 23rd. Finishing the job with a final-round 68, he ended in a share of 20th which may well have put the seal on his return to the side. And who can argue with that?

Rose now sits 32nd in the FedEx Cup, one good week from returning to East Lake, a course he adores. Still, he can probably afford to play like he did last Thursday and expect to be named among Luke Donald's selections in just under a month.

Jordan Spieth

Max Homa would've made this feature had he not climbed to sixth place in the US standings, displacing Xander Schauffele. Both will make the team and so will Spieth, who contended at Southwind on the back of an encouraging if slightly frustrating top-30 finish in the Open a month ago.

Spieth had been named by Fred Couples as a wildcard guarantee but his overall form has been patchy since the spring, and fans will have been relieved to see him contending at the weekend at a course he's not always enjoyed. It surely represents the removal of any doubt when it comes to his Ryder Cup prospects, the case for him strengthened by a sensational display at last year's Presidents Cup.

Spieth is not yet guaranteed a start at East Lake. Like Rose, it may no longer matter.

Collin Morikawa

Among the various wildcard options at Zach Johnson's disposal, Morikawa is the one who I feel ought not to be in any doubt and yet somehow appears to be. That tells us what winning does for a reputation and the simple fact is that he hasn't done it since November 2021, which means he's responsible for arming his critics.

That being said, he's all but guaranteed to make East Lake, he had a putt to win on the PGA Tour as recently as three starts ago, he has three solid major performances to his name this year, and his overall body of work would be strong whoever's name was attached to it.

That the name is Morikawa, a two-time major champion who excelled on his Ryder Cup debut and whose iron play remains exceptional, should remove any doubt. I expect Johnson sees it that way, too.

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Seamus Power

After ending 2022 in sparkling form, Power looked close to a Ryder Cup lock. Twice a PGA Tour winner now and having played well in majors during the earlier months of the season, he had laid the foundations for another step up the ladder and all the rewards that go with it.

Now, after finishing tied for last in the FedEx St. Jude Championship at Southwind, he's running out of time.

It's been a largely poor year for the Irishman, who is without a top-10 finish anywhere and has fallen outside the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings. It therefore feels like the BMW Championship is vital: play well enough to reach East Lake and he'll have shown form plus added four more rounds to his season; fail to do so and perhaps not even an impromptu trip back to Europe could save him.

Power was an even-money chance when Sky Bet closed their Ryder Cup team market in mid-June. His prospects now must be significantly lower than they were then.

Sepp Straka

As Power's hopes have faded, Straka has appeared one of the men most likely to capitalise. Now a two-time PGA Tour winner himself after that dazzling and dramatic finish to the John Deere Classic, he supplemented that effort with a share of second in the Open, his second major top-10 of the year. Those are seriously compelling credentials.

However, the trouble with Straka is that he's wildly inconsistent. This time last year he lost a play-off at Southwind having played miserably for months, and now the reverse has happened – his run of red-hot form came to an abrupt end with a missed cut in the 3M Open followed by a share of 63rd last week.

Although his place at East Lake is all but secure, suddenly his place in the Ryder Cup side might not be.

Should Straka finish near to last again in the BMW Championship, he'll start near to last at East Lake, where a handicap system is employed. That would make it very difficult for him to leave a positive impression at the end of Playoffs which were meant to define the US side, but may have no less significant an impact on the European one.

Tony Finau

One place behind Straka at Southwind, Finau's performance was arguably more encouraging in some ways. At a course which probably doesn't suit him quite as well as Olympia Fields ought to, Finau struck the ball to a decent standard, gaining strokes from tee-to-green thanks largely to his approach play. He was, however, dead last in putting.

That club helped Finau shed his reputation as one of the sport's habitual losers, but there are problems elsewhere, too. His last elite driving performance came in May, his last elite approach play performance a few weeks later in June. One top-10 finish since his sixth PGA Tour win is the outcome and yet at 13th in the FedEx Cup, he could still walk off with the jackpot in a fortnight.

Finau would've been considered a virtual certainty to make this team when he won in Mexico. Three months have passed, during which time Glover, Rickie Fowler and Keegan Bradley have emerged as wildcard options, with Homa, Spieth, Young and Morikawa all enhancing their own claims in some way. Finau needs a big fortnight.

Keegan Bradley

Rickie Fowler is in a similar predicament on paper but my gut feeling is that he'll make the side, whereas Bradley might be in the process of giving Johnson an excuse to leave him out. Since winning, he's gone 21-MC-43, and there's certainly a scenario where two bad weeks could see the case for him suddenly appear weak.

In his favour is the fact it's a two-time season, one of them in designated-event company. But while he played nicely in the first two majors he's not performed in the last two and his win at the Travelers is very much a standout piece of form, his best golf otherwise having come either side of Christmas.

Absent from the side since 2014, Bradley is under real pressure now, not helped by Glover's emergence nor the last thing Thomas did at the Wyndham. He does at least have two weeks to turn things around.

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Rickie Fowler, Cam Young, Sam Burns and any European not in action last week are considered 'as you were'.

Burns' chances felt remote and remain that way.

Young is reportedly set to be selected regardless, while Fowler's hopes are not considered to have taken a significant hit as yet.