FOUR members of Europe’s last Ryder Cup team will try to get a head start on making next year’s when the qualifying process gets under way in this week’s D+D Real Czech Masters.

Thomas Pieters, Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick enjoyed contrasting results at Hazeltine, with Pieters winning more points than the other three combined thanks to four victories from his five matches.

But all four will be keen to play a part in regaining the trophy at Le Golf National in Paris next year and can make early progress with a good performance at the Albatross Golf Resort in Prague.

“I have had good results and I love the place,” said Pieters, who won his first European Tour title here in 2015 and was second in the defence of his title 12 months later to help persuade European captain Darren Clarke to give him a wild card.

“It was nice to close it out for the first time and going back last year I had to have a good result and didn’t quite get it done, but I have nothing but good memories here.

“It’s still a really long road to the Ryder Cup, but as many points as you can get is always something that is on my mind.”

Fitzpatrick’s course form is almost as impressive as that of Pieters, the 22-year-old finishing third in 2015 and fifth last year when American Paul Peterson edged out Pieters by a single shot.

“I’ve had two good years back to back, so I can hopefully go a few places better this year,” said Fitzpatrick, who has struggled to find his best form since finishing second in the Nordea Masters in June.

“I’ve not played the last two weeks, just having some time off working on my game, so hopefully that hard work is going to pay off in the next few weeks and I have a good end to the season.

“It’s another goal to make the team in France in 2018 and that’s really one of the plans, to give it my best effort to try and make that team.”

Kaymer is another player who has been far from his best for much of the season, the former world number one slipping to 66th in the rankings and being forced out of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and US PGA with a shoulder injury.

The two-time major winner returned to action with a tie for 31st in Denmark last week and believes the Ryder Cup qualifying battle will not start in earnest until next year’s Masters.

“I think I need to work a little bit on the short game,” Kaymer said. “I was hitting a lot of fairways and greens last week but I think on the green I need to make a few adjustments here and there, but that could be a very quick and easy fix.

“I played with (Ryder Cup captain) Thomas Bjorn last week and he said I should get it going soon and I said ‘Thomas, I don’t think anyone has ever made the team from the first event, so I think it all really depends on when April comes next year’.

“My focus is not the Ryder Cup team, it’s more about trying to get somewhere in the top 15, top 10 in the Race to Dubai, that would be great, and then the Ryder Cup.

“Obviously since I played the very first time, you always want to be part of it, especially when it is in Europe, it is one of the greatest events that we have in our job.”