5 Ryder Cup hopefuls who need a big Open

For those players on the edge of qualification for the Ryder Cup, the Open and US PGA Championship are effectively make-or-break with the amount of points available.

Currently, the nine European Ryder Cup team spots are filled by: Danny Willett, Rory McIlroy, Chris Wood, Andy Sullivan, Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Matt Fitzpatrick – four of which would by Ryder Cup rookies.

But which players are in need of a performance at Royal Troon the most in order to work their back into the automatic reckoning?

Shane Lowry

European Points List: 11 (1509717.08)
World Points List: 12 (106.51)

Opted to defend his WGC-Bridgestone Invitational title instead of pursuing double Ryder Cup points at the French Open. The decision backfired as he finished a lowly T36 at Akron and with the line-up already looking it’s going to have plenty of rookies, the Irishman may find himself edged out in favour of more experienced captain’s picks.

Graeme McDowell

European Points List: 43 (523481.61)
World Points List: 17 (93.58)

Speaking of experience, G-Mac has played in the last four Ryder Cups and sunk the winning putt under immense pressure at Celtic Manor in 2010. His Ryder Cup record is 8-5-2 and he went 3-0-0 in impressively stewarding rookie Victor Dubuisson last time out. If he doesn’t qualify automatically, his performance at Gleneagles could be enough to convince Darren Clarke that he’s worth a pick.

Luke Donald

European Points List: 51 (398302.03)
World Points List: 32 (62.45)

“I’ve not given up hope but I certainly need to start churning out some better results,” Donald told bunkered.co.uk at the Scottish Open. He’s not wrong.  Like McDowell, Donald is a veteran of four Ryder Cups but missed out at Gleneagles in 2014. He doesn’t want to rely on a captain’s pick but unless his performances improve at this week and at the US PGA Championship, he may have to.

Martin Kaymer

European Points List: 14 (1315737.98)
World Points List: 15 (96.21)

The German has been in good form of late with a flurry of top tens on the European Tour – but he still ranks outside the automatic qualifying spots. However, he isn’t feeling the pressure. “I won’t be putting myself under pressure and saying ‘I need to make the Ryder Cup team’ because I want to focus on the tournament I’m playing,” Kaymer told bunkered.co.uk.

Russell Knox

European Points List: 33 (726031.39)
World Points List: 20 (81.91)

After his win at the WGC-HSBC Champions, Knox was tipped by many to make it to Hazeltine. But he’s now ranked outside the top 20 in the World Points List with the likes of Lowry, G-Mac and Kaymer all ahead of him.