[PHOTO: Luke Walker]
It was a phone call Rasmus Hojgaard wasn’t sure he’d receive just a few hours earlier. But there he was, after shooting a final-round 71 at the Betfred British Masters to tie for 13th place, speaking with European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald.
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“Welcome to Team Europe,” Donald said to Hojgaard. “How does it feel?”
“I don’t think I’ve been that stressed out before playing the last few holes,” Hojgaard told his captain, “but it was pretty cool.”
Hojgaard’s finish moved him into the top six in Ryder Cup points, giving him the final automatic spot, joining Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and Tyrrell Hatton. Hojgaard moved Shane Lowry out of the top six, but the Irishman is almost assuredly going to receive a captain’s pick.
The day started out smoothly for Hojgaard at The Belfry where he made three straight birdies on holes to two to four. But he then made four bogeys over the next eight holes to move down the leaderboard. A birdie on the par-5 15th hole put him high enough in the field that he only needed to make three pars to close, which he did.
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“I knew every bogey out there was very costly,” said the 24-year-old from Denmark. “I was well aware of the situation and, to be honest, there were a couple of times out there when I really had to calm myself down and not let it spin out of control.
“I was telling Tom, my caddie, out there, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to be able to do this.’ I managed to make a good 4 at the end there. So I’m over the moon right now.”
Hojgaard shot 69-71-69-71 for an eight-under total, joining five others in the 13th-place tie. This is his first Ryder Cup. His twin brother Nicolai played in the 2023 Ryder Cup for Europe in a winning effort in Rome.
Nicolai tied for second place in the British Masters after shooting consecutive rounds of 67 on the weekend, but he is far enough down the Ryder Cup points list that it’s unlikely he’ll receive a captain’s selection. He and New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori finished one shot behind winner Alex Noren, who shot 65-67 on the weekend for his 11th victory on the DP World Tour.
