A quirk in Team Europe’s Ryder Cup selection process means that Irishman Shane Lowry is likely to need one of Luke Donald’s six captain’s picks to make the team.

The cutoff to determine Europe’s six automatic qualifying spots is this weekend, and Lowry is in sixth, less than four points behind Tyrrell Hatton of England. The top five are mathematical locks, but Lowry and No. 7 Sepp Straka of Austria are expected to be passed by eighth-place Rasmus Hojgaard of Denmark.

That’s because Lowry and Straka cannot earn points at the Tour Championship, while Hojgaard — who did not qualify for the Tour Championship after playing a partial PGA Tour schedule this year — is in the field at the British Masters on the DP World Tour, where he’s able to earn points.

Hojgaard is tied for 14th halfway thro

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