Henrik Stenson will be waking up a happy man this morning following Matt Fitzpatrick's stunning US Open triumph.
It looks nailed on that the Englishman, who is yet to win a Ryder Cup point in two matches, will finally get to play for his continent on home soil next year, and he's likely going to be one of the stars on the team.
"I want to be part of those teams, I want to be able to play well and back myself to win points that I feel like I know I can," Fitzpatrick told Golf Monthly.
"I’ve never played a fourball match which is incredibly disappointing because I feel like that’s somewhere where my talent would also lie and I definitely feel like that was something I missed out on last time and the first time. I’m looking forward to it. Rome is an incredible city and I was there in December and I loved being there so I really look forward to that one if I can make the team and hopefully it will be a good result as well."
The next Ryder Cup teams could look significantly different, especially for Europe, after the launch of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series. Ryder Cup legends like Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell and Lee Westwood have risked their futures as players and captains in the biennial match and could well be watching on the TV when the action kicks off in Rome next year.
So, if they do miss out, what might the European team look like next year?
After the drubbing at Whistling Straits last time out, there were fears that the US side could potentially start running away with upcoming Ryder Cups. The young guns like Morikawa, Scheffler, Thomas, Burns and co. look set to be part of many winning teams but Europe's side might well be very strong too.
There are currently four Europeans in the world's top 10 - McIlroy, Rahm, Hovland and Fitzpatrick - who are already basically guaranteed to play on Henrik Stenson's side. Europe also has some very talented youngsters in the Hojgaard twins, who have five DP World Tour wins between them at the age of 21. They're only going to get better and will likely be challenging to get into the side for Rome.
Another under-the-radar youngster is Guido Migliozzi. The Italian could well appear on home soil next year, and showed his talent once again this past weekend with a final round 66 at Brookline to record a T14 finish. He was also T4th at the US Open last year and has two DP World Tour victories to his name.
So there's seven names mentioned, what about the other five? Shane Lowry, Tyrrell Hatton, a revived Thomas Pieters, who had a stunning Ryder Cup debut in 2016, Tommy Fleetwood, Paul Casey, Justin Rose, Adri Arnaus and Robert MacIntyre may should all be in the fold depending on whether their futures remain with the PGA and DP World Tours.
The return of the Thomas Pieters/Rory McIlroy partnership and the Hojgaards are just two teams that come to mind off the top of my head. Matt Fitzpatrick playing fourball golf for the first time and other stars like Hovland, Rahm and Lowry - and all on home soil once again where the course setup will favour the gritty Europeans. I'm starting to like Europe's chances. The Ryder Cup will certainly lose out if Poulter, Westwood, Garcia and co. don't feature, but Europe's side looks quietly promising and the atmosphere will be electric in Rome at the first ever Italian Ryder Cup.
On paper, Europe will once again have the weaker side but experienced heads like Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose, who has re-found his form and could be playing for his great friend and formidable partner Henrik Stenson, leading the team in front of a home crowd on a golf course set up for them could and should make for a fantastic team. The Americans will be boosted by rookies like Zalatoris and Burns but with DeChambeau, DJ and potentially Koepka (if he joins LIV as rumours suggest) missing mean the US side may lack a few star names too.
It will surely be a different match if some of the legendary Ryder Cup names miss out, but it will still be incredibly special. I can't wait.
Predicted European Ryder Cup team
- Rory McIlroy
- Jon Rahm
- Viktor Hovland
- Matt Fitzpatrick
- Shane Lowry
- Tyrrell Hatton
- Justin Rose
- Guido Migliozzi
- Tommy Fleetwood
- Rasmus Hojgaard
- Nicolai Hojgaard
- Thomas Pieters
Other names who could be in the fold depending on form: Seamus Power, Robert MacIntyre, Francesco Molinari, Adri Arnaus, Sepp Straka, Alex Noren, Danny Willett, Victor Perez, Matt Wallace, Thorbjorn Olesen
