By Matt Hardy
Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg won his first ever professional tournament at the European Masters in Switzerland as Brit Matt Fitzpatrick tied for third to earn him an automatic qualification spot for this month’s Ryder Cup.
Aberg finished on 19-under-par with compatriot Alexander Bjork second on 17 under. Fitzpatrick and playing partner Connor Syme tied for third with Matt’s brother Alex in a tie for fifth.
A top seven finish was enough for Matt Fitzpatrick, who led around much of the Crans-sur-Sierre course in Crans-Montana before it began to unravel over the final nine holes, to reach his third Ryder Cup tournament.
Aberg, 23, could earn a spot on Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup team with his win.
Fitzpatrick’s finish drops fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood out of the automatic qualifying spots but a stellar year for the Brit should be enough to earn a place on the plane to Rome this month.
Elsewhere Scot Robert MacIntyre will make his Ryder Cup debut later this month in Italy having beaten German Yannik Paul, Polish golfer Adrian Meronk and Spaniard Adrian Otaegui in the European Points List.
Aberg said: “I don’t even know where to start, it is a surreal feeling. I am super, super happy.
“To [win] is pretty cool.
“I needed to take care of the par fives and I did today.
“[To make the Ryder Cup team] I figured a win would put me in a good position but I have been doing a good job of not thinking about it. Luckily I was able to finish well today.
“It would mean the world. For anyone as a young golfer those are the tournaments you want to be a part of. If I get the chance to be part of that I would be over the moon.”
Captain Donald will announce his six wildcard picks, which could include Aberg, on Monday.
European Masters golf result
- Aberg, -19
- Bjork, -17
- M Fitzpatrick, Syme, -16
- A Fitzpatrick, Luiten, Hoejgaard, -14
- Van Rooyen, Bekker, Kawamura, Green, Pepperell, -14
Ryder Cup team so far
Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton, Matt Fitzpatrick, Robert MacIntyre.
