LIV Golf’s star player Tyrrell Hatton has hit the ground running in his quest for automatic Ryder Cup selection.

The 32-year-old Englishman risked his Ryder Cup future earlier this year when he switched to the Saudi-backed breakaway tour. To be part of Luke Donald’s team at Bethpage Black, European players must be active members of the DP World Tour.

However, Hatton’s move to LIV resulted in suspensions and fines that could have hindered him from meeting eligibility criteria. Players are required to participate in at least four qualifying events each year to maintain their DP World Tour membership.

Hatton managed to lift his suspension by appealing his penalties, pausing the proceedings, and enabling him to meet the four-tournament requirement to retain his DP World Tour status. His Legion XIII teammate Jon Rahm followed suit, with both men fulfilling the requirements to make them potential captain’s picks for Donald next year.

Yet, Hatton aims to go one step further, striving to secure his spot on the 12-man team by earning one of the six automatic qualification spots. This will be a tough task for the High Wycombe native due to his LIV commitments, which will consume most of his time during the peak of next season and significantly limit his ability to gather Ryder Cup qualification points.

However, since the qualification window opened with the British Masters in September, he has made a strong start. Hatton clinched the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October and came second in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship last week.

Rory McIlroy ended his long wait for a victory in style on Sunday

Rory McIlroy ended his long wait for a victory in style on Sunday ( 

Image:

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

He then secured a sixth-place finish in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai on Sunday, earning him a significant number of points and placing him third in the qualification race. Rory McIlroy is leading after his victory at the Earth Course on Sunday, marking his sixth Race To Dubai triumph.

Rasmus Hojgaard is in second place following an impressive season, hoping to follow in the footsteps of his twin brother Nicolai – a member of the victorious 2023 Ryder Cup team. The rest of the top 10 consists of relatively unknown players who have given themselves a chance of making a Ryder Cup breakthrough.

Whether they can maintain their momentum remains to be seen. It’s still early in the process, but players like Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre, Justin Rose, and Matt Fitzpatrick will need to make a strong start to the 2025 season to increase their chances of finishing in the top six and automatically qualifying for the team.

Here’s how the standings look as the 2024 season wraps up….

  1. Rory McIlroy – 792.07
  2. Rasmus Hojgaard – 706.53
  3. Tyrrell Hatton – 587.84
  4. Matt Wallace – 505.42
  5. Paul Waring – 4155.23
  6. Niklas Norgaard – 414.83
  7. Jorge Campillo – 322.32
  8. Julien Guerrier – 318.1
  9. Antione Rozner – 316.48
  10. Thorbjorn Olesen – 315.25
  11. Dan Bradbury – 312.77
  12. Angel Hidalgo – 304.19
  13. Matteo Manassero – 276.96
  14. Tommy Fleetwood – 268.73
  15. Jordan Smith – 264.16
  16. Jon Rahm – 257.8
  17. Shane Lowry – 229.73
  18. Alfredo Garcia-Heredia – 210.55
  19. Francesco Laporta – 191.3
  20. Dan Brown – 189.56