Following a major review of the qualification criteria for the European team after the defeat at Hazeltine, the European Ryder Cup committee has raised the number of captain’s picks from three to four, in order to ensure that Europe can compete on a level playing field with American, which also features four wildcards.
And, in a further effort to ensure the captain has more in-form players in the team, more Ryder Cup points will be on offer at tournaments held in the latter stages of the qualification process. Race to Dubai points and world ranking points earned in events from May through to September 2018 will be multiplied by 1.5, with the first counting event being the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in May, which is four months before the Ryder Cup matches take place in Paris.
And in a bid to ensure more top European players take part in the new Rolex Series, no Ryder Cup points will be on offer at tournaments staged anywhere else in the world played in the same week as these events in both 2017 and 2018.
In a direct move to make it easier for Europeans who play almost exclusively in America to make the team, the European Tour has also changed its membership regulations for the 2018 season, with players only required to compete in a minimum of four European Tour events outside the Majors and World Golf Championships. Last season, players were required to play a minimum five.
The Ryder Cup committee has also introduced a new rule that prevents players from becoming a Ryder Cup captain or vice-captain if they decline membership of the European Tour or fail to fulfil their minimum event obligation in any season, from 2018 onwards.
Speaking about the changes, Bjørn said: “I am delighted that the Tournament Committee passed these regulations, which I believe will considerably benefit the European Ryder Cup team in 2018 without compromising the strength or importance of the European Tour.
“In my role as chairman of the Tournament Committee for the past ten years and now as Ryder Cup captain, I fully appreciate the need to balance both of these essential elements, and I think we have managed to do that.
“Part of the reason for my appointment last month was to begin the process required to regain the Ryder Cup, and these changes are the first step on that journey. Hopefully they will help me have the 12 best European players available in 20 months’ time.”
The starting point for qualification for the 2018 Ryder Cup is the D+D Real Czech Masters, which begins on August 31, 2017.
SUMMARY OF THE CHANGES TO RYDER CUP QUALIFICATION
- Qualification points to be multiplied by 1.5 for tournaments later in the qualification process. The starting point for this will be the BMW PGA Championship in 2018.
- No Ryder Cup qualification points will be available from tournaments staged anywhere in the world opposite Rolex Series tournaments in both 2017 and 2018.
- Qualification for the 2018 team to change to four players from the Ryder Cup European points list, four from the Ryder Cup world points List and four captain’s picks.
- Players must be a member of the European Tour to be eligible to play for Europe.
- Players cannot be a European Ryder Cup captain or a vice-captain if they decline membership of the European Tour or fail to fulfil their minimum event obligation in any season, from 2018 onwards.