With only one week left to claim vital Ryder Cup points in the race to make the American team for September's tournament at The Belfry, US golfers have it all to play for at this weekend's final major of the season. Only four players are 100% certain of making Curtis Strange's line-up for the prestigious event with up to 30 other golfers still in with a chance of making the team depending on the outcome of the USPGA Championship, which gets underway on Thursday.
Tiger Woods, going for his third consecutive USPGA Championship title, Phil Mickelson, Open champion David Duval and Davis Love III are the group of four who are assured of their Ryder Cup involvement. Immediately behind them are Mark Calcavecchia, Hal Sutton and Scott Hoch who all look very likely of making the team. However, after that, everyone down to Franklin Langham in 34th place in the points table still have the opportunity of making the final line-up.
Once the top 10 have been determined following the completion of this year's final Major, US captain Curtis Strange will name his two wild card picks on Monday morning.
The American system of awarding Ryder Cup points is very different to the system operated by the European Tour, where every £1 earned counts towards a golfer's points total. In the US, points are only awarded for top 10 finishes in tournaments, with points awarded doubled for the majors.
For 10 players, including US Open runner-up Mark Brooks and Billy Mayfair, who this weekend shot a US Tour record 27 for nine holes, the only way to qualify is to win on Sunday. Four more players, including 1997 Open champion Justin Leonard, have to finish second in order to qualify, while for 11th-placed Chris DiMarco, 10th spot in the PGA Championship could be enough for him to overtake Tom Lehman, the man in the hot seat in 10th place on the points table.
In Europe, the race for Ryder Cup points will not end until the BMW International in Munich in a fortnight's time, with four events remaining in which to pick up points.
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
