Can European Masters leader Matt Fitzpatrick make the European Ryder Cup team? Scenarios explored

If Matt Fitzpatrick finishes in a tie for seventh place or better, he will qualify for the 2023 European Ryder Cup team. The final two spots are up for grabs in the Ryder Cup auto-qualification after Tyrrell Hatton confirmed his place on the team.

There will be three players who will qualify based on the World Points List and three more based on the European Point List. Viktor Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton qualified based on their World Points, while Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm qualified because they were at the top of the European Points list.

The next player in the World Point List is Tommy Fleetwood followed by Matt Fitzpatrick. However, Fleetwood's absence from this week's European Masters gives Fitzpatrick a greater opportunity to occupy the place and earn a spot on the Ryder Cup team.

Fitzpatrick is in a six-way tie for first place with Eddie Pepperell, Masahiro Kawamura, John Axelsen, Gavin Green, and Nacho Elvira after the first round of the competition that took place on Thursday, August 31. He currently leads Ludvig Aberg, Yannik Paul, and Scott Jamieson by one stroke going into the second round of the competition.

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European Ryder Cup team scenarios

The European Ryder Team will be made up of three players each from the World Point list and the European Point list. The remaining six players will be chosen by the team captain.

Fleetwood is in third place in the World Point List for auto-qualification with a score of 186.92, while Robert MacIntyre occupies the third spot in the European Point List followed by Yannik Paul, Adrian Meronk, and Victor Perez.

If MacIntyre finishes second at the Omega European Masters, he will qualify for the position.

World Points List

Here is the World Point List:

• Rory McIlroy (Q) – 404.8
• Jon Rahm (Q) – 395.35
• Viktor Hovland (Q) – 356.97
• Tyrrell Hatton (Q) – 205.57
• Tommy Fleetwood – 186.92
• Matt Fitzpatrick – 183.1
• Sepp Straka – 152.4
• Shane Lowry – 105.21
• Justin Rose – 100.32
• Robert MacIntyre – 96.43

European Points List

Here is the European Point List:

• Rory McIlroy (Q) – 4,033.5
• Jon Rahm (Q) – 3,417.23
• Robert MacIntyre – 1,828.99
• Yannik Paul – 1,702.9
• Adrian Meronk – 1,620.59
• Victor Perez – 1,571.03
• Tommy Fleetwood- 1,534.37
• Rasmus Hojgaard - 1,531.86
• Adrian Otaegui – 1,435.51
• Shane Lowry – 1,290.23

Below are the points guaranteed for the players for their top 10 finishes at the 2023 Omenga European Masters:

• 1st - 415
• 2nd - 275
• 3rd - 157
• 4th - 125
• 5th - 106
• 6th - 87.5
• 7th - 75
• 8th - 63
• 9th - 56
• 10th - 50

The 2023 Omega European Masters will have its finale on Sunday, September 3, and after that, the six auto-qualified players for the European Ryder Cup team will be confirmed.