Where does The Open leave Europe's Ryder Cup team?

TROON, Scotland -- If the tense battle between Swede Henrik Stenson and American Phil Mickelson at The Open on Sunday didn't get you in the mood for the Ryder Cup, nothing will.

Stenson fended off Mickelson in a tense game of cat and mouse at Royal Troon, eventually claiming the Claret Jug for his first major title by three shots, also equalling the lowest winning score at a major by posting 20-under.

Now, with a little more than two months until Darren Clarke's European squad heads to Hazeltine in a bid to win a fourth straight Ryder Cup -- unprecedented since the biennial contest was expanded to include the whole continent -- the team that will defend the title is really starting to take shape.

Here, ESPN UK runs down those boarding the plane, those waiting in the departure lounge, and those who should be getting ready to watch on TV. But first ...

The history

The Open at Royal Troon has been an American stronghold since Arnold Palmer lifted the Claret Jug here in 1962. Since then, six of the past seven winners have come from stateside until Stenson's victory on Sunday.

But if recent golfing history tells us anything, it's that U.S. success at Troon doesn't necessarily translate into Ryder Cup glory later in the year. While Americans won here in 1997 and 2004 (the Ryder Cup switched to even years after the cancellation of the 2001 event), Europe went on to claim the team event in each of those years.

In fact, Justin Leonard and Todd Hamilton -- the respective champion golfers in 1997 and 2004 -- were of little use to their Ryder Cup captains Tom Kite and Hal Sutton. Leonard claimed just a single point as part of the American challenge at Valderrama. That's more than can be said for the rank-outsider Hamilton, who was not even part of the team at Oakland Hills after coming from nowhere to win at Troon.

There's still an awful lot of golf to play before the 2016 Ryder Cup gets underway in September, and the results of tournaments played over a decade ago will have little bearing on this year's event. But Clarke can afford a little smile, however meaningless, knowing that America has never won a post-Troon team trophy.

Now, the European team-elect ...

The definites

Stenson went out on Sunday effectively engaged in a match play scenario with Mickelson for the Claret Jug. The Swede held a one-shot advantage over his American rival and, despite ceding the lead with a bogey on the first hole, he fought back and then accelerated away from the 2013 champion with 10 birdies. It's a result that should set him in good stead for the pressures of genuine match play in September.

It was, however, a mixed week for Europe's other big guns. Masters champion Danny Willett sunk without trace after failing to record a single round under par, while world No. 4 Rory McIlroy didn't find his form until Sunday. He shot a final-round 67 to tie for fifth, but that was still 16 shots off the lead, and the return of the Northern Irishman's putting yips is cause for concern.

The probables

Justin Rose endured a nightmarish Friday, shooting a 6-over 77 in the wild conditions, while Sergio Garcia was his usual top-10-but-never-going-to-win-one self to tie for fifth overall with McIlroy. Garcia's fellow Spaniard Rafael Cabrera Bello, who sits fifth on the world points list, finished in a tie for 39th. In truth, none of the established names really threatened to join Stenson at the top of the leaderboard on Sunday.

The possibles

The gaggle of Englishmen flirting with Ryder Cup qualification did little to light up the often dreary Troon skies.

Chris Wood, third overall in the European points list, withdrew with a neck injury after 12 holes on Thursday, and Clarke promptly warned he would be unlikely Wood if he misses the looming PGA Championship and slips down the pecking order.

Andy Sullivan, many pundits' outside pick for this year's Claret Jug, sprayed it all over Troon, carding a 4-under 67 on Thursday followed by a 5-over 76 on Friday. He sits fourth on the European points list, with the young Matthew Fitzpatrick breathing down his neck. The less said about Fitzpatrick's missed cut -- 11-over for two rounds -- the better.

The wildcards

It's in this department that Europe's Ryder Cup will be won or lost. With so many Ryder Cup rookies currently occupying the automatic qualification spots, Clarke has indicated he's likely to use his picks to add some much-needed experience to the European side: "I said at the start it would be very difficult for me to pick a rookie," he said. "I still stand by that opinion. But we shall see how the team works out. We'll blend out the team. Should that be experience, should that be guys who I think are going to bring the team in, then that's what will happen."

That could, however, present a problem. Ian Poulter is out -- we know that -- while the other usual suspects have hardly forced their way into the captain's thinking with their play at Troon. Lee Westwood, a veteran of eight Ryder Cups, finished 1-over for the week but is a great mate of Clarke's, while Graeme McDowell was miles off the pace at 10-over-par. Luke Donald is another candidate having missed out on being one of Paul McGinley's picks for Gleneagles. And the former world No. 1 has never made it a secret he wants back in. "Every round, every shot is an opportunity," he said. "I've been a little bit stagnant the last couple of months. You've just got to keep digging and grinding on every round and every shot."

Chuck experience out the window, though, and you're left with an obvious pick from the field at Troon. Andrew Johnston -- the man we call "Beef" -- had the crowd chanting his nickname all weekend as he swished his way to a 3-under finish and a standalone eighth place. He's a magnetic character who could add some unique spirit to the European team, giving their fans a figurehead to cheer for in what is likely to be a hostile American crowd.

But, Beef admits, he's not really thinking about the Ryder Cup: "I just go from day to day, and I find that's the best way for me to be."

Elsewhere, Shane Lowry is surprisingly far down the qualification list. Will he regret not playing the Open de France, where double Ryder Cup points were on offer? Or did Clarke have a word with his fellow Irishman and tell him he's already in line for a spot? His missed cut at Troon following his U.S. Open collapse will concern the captain, though.

The verdict

With Stenson's victory, Europeans now hold two of the three majors contested this year, while an American holds the other. The final major of the year, the PGA Championship at Baltusrol, is just 10 days away and Clarke will be licking his lips at the prospect of his team holding a 3-1 advantage over the U.S. if one of his own can lift that trophy.

However, Americans are likely to mount a strong challenge in New Jersey, while Australia's defending champion Jason Day will also be in the mix. Stenson's win goes some way to mask a disappointing home effort at Troon, but this year's Ryder Cup is likely to be the closest in some time.

As for the team, Stenson, McIlroy and Willett can dig out their passports, as can Rose and Garcia. Then it's a straight shootout between Cabrera Bello, Wood, Sullivan and Fitzpatrick.

Clarke is unlikely to pick more than one wildcard, so these guys need to buckle down in the next two months. For our money, Wood and Sullivan are going, while Fitzpatrick will have to watch from his front room.

Westwood, Lowry, and Johnston get the wildcards.

Oh, and Europe go on to win, of course ...