Moritz Neuhausen has placed himself into European qualification contention for this year’s Mosconi Cup after landing his maiden ranking title at the Connecticut Open.
Neuhausen has reached back-to-back ranking finals ahead of the upcoming US Open Pool Championship in Atlantic City, after which the second automatic qualifier for Team Europe will be confirmed.
The German teenager currently sits sixth in the European table and, despite being almost $20,000 adrift of second-placed Fedor Gorst, he’s now marginally more than $10,000 away from third-placed David Alcaide.
Moscow-born Gorst will be confirmed as the second automatic qualifier next Saturday unless another European player surpasses the semi-finals and he endures a relatively early exit at the prestigious tournament.
Gorst would need to add to his $53,225 should Alcaide reach the semi-finals or further, should Mario He, Neuhausen, Jayson Shaw or Joshua Filler reach the final, or should any other European win the tournament.
On the American side of proceedings, Shane van Boening will be confirmed as the second automatic qualifier unless he doesn’t reach the money rounds and Shane Wolford reaches the final.
Wolford, Tyler Styer and Billy Thorpe are currently the names set to join Woodward and Van Boening on the American team, although Billy Ussery is without touching distance of Thorpe on the one-year rankings.
Lukas Fracasso-Verner and Hunter Lombardo have also amounted a decent sum of ranking money, although a deep run from any American in Atlantic City would put them in a good position of appearing in London come December.
The second automatic qualifiers on both teams will be become clear following the US Open, before the third and final qualifiers are confirmed following next month’s Hanoi Open Pool Championship.
The 2023 Mosconi Cup takes place at London’s iconic Alexandra Palace from December 6-9, with Europe’s Francisco Sanchez Ruiz and the USA’s Skyler Woodward already qualified for the extravaganza.
