Ryder Cup 2018: Team Europe as it stands at Le Golf National
By Ali Stafford
Last Updated: 26/06/18 12:11pm
The European Tour’s top players head to Le Golf National this week for the Open de France, three months before Thomas Bjorn brings Team Europe to the same venue for the Ryder Cup.
The year-long qualification process began last summer at the Czech Masters and runs through to the Made in Denmark in August, with time running out for players to secure their place in the European team against the USA.
The leading four players on the European Points list and the leading four from the World Points List on August 26 will automatically qualify, with points earned in the remaining events having an increased weighting and multiplied by 1.5.
Which players are currently in pole position to feature at the Ryder Cup? Who will need a strong summer to be named one of Bjorn's wildcard picks? We have taken a look at how the European side is shaping up, as things stand…
A tied-sixth finish at the US Open saw Tyrrell Hatton extend his lead at the top of the European Points List, a position he has held for much of the qualification campaign after back-to-back wins at the end of the 2017 season.
Last year's wins at the Turkish Airlines Open and WGC-HSBC Champions have world No 3 Justin Rose in second spot, with Race to Dubai champion Tommy Fleetwood lurking just behind in third thanks to a runner-up finish at Shinnecock Hills.
BMW PGA Championship champion Francesco Molinari occupies fourth spot, with the Italian holding more than a 850,000 point cushion over nearest challenger Thorbjorn Olesen.
Rose and Fleetwood occupy the top two places on the World Points List, with Jon Rahm in third position thanks to victories at the CareerBuilder Challenge and the Open de Espana.
Rory McIlroy has been inside the automatic qualification places since his win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, with Alex Noren currently on course to feature after four worldwide top-10s in the first half of 2018.
Despite letting a four-shot lead slip on the final day of the Travelers Championship, Paul Casey's runner-up finish was enough to lift him above Matt Fitzpatrick and Ian Poulter in the World Points List.
European Points List (as of June 25)
1. Tyrrell Hatton 3,559,896 points
2. Justin Rose 3,307,263
3. Tommy Fleetwood 3,240,727
4. Francesco Molinari 3,225,221
5. Thorbjorn Olesen 2,358,160
6. Rory McIlroy 2,168,607
7. Jon Rahm 2,101,638
8. Matt Fitzpatrick 2,029,025
9. Ross Fisher 1,789,786
10. Rafa Cabrera Bello 1,751,824
World Points List
1. Justin Rose 290.39 points
2. Tommy Fleetwood 257.00
3. Jon Rahm 248.36
4. Rory McIlroy 226.56
5. Tyrrell Hatton 202.05
6. Francesco Molinari 193.69
7. Alex Noren 165.56
8. Paul Casey 153.44
9. Matt Fitzpatrick 138.39
10. Ian Poulter 133.48
Watch the Open de France from June 28-July 1 and the 2018 Ryder Cup from September 28-30 from Le Golf National exclusively live on Sky Sports Golf
