While top-ranked Scot Robert MacIntyre continues to struggle after three rounds in getting a strong footing on the Swiss slopes his automatic selection in the 2023 Ryder Cup now looks assured.
MacIntyre had not made the cut in two prior showings at the host Omega European Masters course and while he made the cut right on the three-under-par mark on Friday, it’s golf course that the Oban lefty clearly does not feels comfortable.
Scot Robert MacIntyre now looks assured of being handed the third and final Ryder Cup selection spot
Indeed, if it were not for the event being the final Ryder Cup qualifying event then MacIntyre may have chosen to remain home at his beloved Oban.
MacIntyre, however, is toughing it out adding a third round 70 to remain at three-under and tees-up on day four sharing 56th placce that is a dozen spots adrift of England’s Matt Fitzpatrick who added a third day 67 and lead by two at 15-under.
Yes, late on Friday, and with MacIntyre making the cut right on the three-under-par, the Scot looked likely to miss out on the third and final automatic Ryder Cup selection spot on the ‘Europe’ points qualifying table.
And while MacIntyre did little moving on golf’s traditional ‘Moving Day’, it was those others who look to steal that third and final Rome qualifying spot from the Scogt who did the moving but not in the forward motion that they required.
Poland’s Adrian Meronk, and who played alongside MacIntyre for the opening two Swiss rounds, put himself in frame on Friday with a 64, and despite a closing double-bogey and with observers indicating Meronk only needed to finish second or better on Sunday and he would ‘steal’ MacIntyre’s automatic Rome pick.
Alas, Meronk struggled on day three signing for a very lacklustre 70 and drop back into a tie for 16th place at nine-under.
And there’s German Yannick Paul and MacIntyre’s nearest rival currently at fourth place on the ‘Europe’ points list, and with Paul also tied with Meronk on nine-under.
Paul, and like Meronk now need to win on Sunday to deny MacIntyre that third automatic Rome tee-time.
The bigger Ryder Cup automatic qualifying talk on Saturday was not MacIntyre but Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick climbed to the top of the Swiss Alps course with victories in 2017 and 2018 and a third title in the mountains would match Spanish great Seve Ballesteros while a 10th pro career triumph, and his first DP World Tour title since capturing last year’s 2022 US Open, would deliver the affable Englishman the third and final automatic pick on the ‘World’ points list.
If so, Fitzpatrick would knock Tommy Fleetwood out of that third spot and see Fleetwood needing one of Donald’s six picks, and the same scenario if Fitzpatrick been in contention this week in Switzerland.
Though the 29-year-old Fitzpatrick could have well done without taking a double-bogey at the ninth hole
“Just really pleased to get back into it and make sure I’m in the mix come Sunday,” he said.
“It could have easily unravelled, if you two pars on the easy par fives, all of a sudden, you are quite a few behind. It’s important to get a lead going into tomorrow, and looking forward to playing again with it.
“I feel like there a lot of things for me this week, I can wrap up Ryder Cup and I can match Seve’s record by winning here three times. A win around here is always special, so if it could be my third it would be even better. Looking forward to tomorrow, and ready to go”.
