Ryder Cup: Sullivan and Fitzpatrick set for Europe debuts

England's Matt Fitzpatrick and Andy Sulllivan have taken the last automatic places in Europe's Ryder Cup team.

Europe will have at least five rookies at Hazeltine after the nine qualifiers were decided with a week to spare.

Belgian Thomas Pieters needed to defend his Czech Masters title and Irishman Shane Lowry required a top-four finish in the Wyndham Championship in America to stay in contention.

Both men missed out, handing places to Fitzpatrick and Sullivan.

Pieters only lost out by a single shot to American Paul Peterson on Sunday, while Lowry's closing 67 was not enough to put him among the leaders in North Carolina.

That means Rory McIlroy, Danny Willett, Henrik Stenson, Chris Wood, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Sullivan and Fitzpatrick are guaranteed to go to Minnesota in September in search of a fourth straight win over the USA.

Willett, Wood, Cabrera-Bello, Sullivan and Fitzpatrick will be making their debuts in the event.

Fitzpatrick, 21, finished fifth in Prague to book his Ryder Cup place and said afterwards: "It's a great opportunity, I've got my first one coming up and hopefully I can just keep pushing on my game and getting better."

Peterson finished 15 under par in Prague with Britons David Howell and Ryan Evans joint third on the final leaderboard.

European captain Darren Clarke will name his three Ryder Cup wild cards on 30 August.