Ryder Cup hopefuls fail to make up ground

THE ABSENT Paul McGinley wouldn’t have been unduly upset by developments in the first round of the PGA at Medinah yesterday.

The one European to pass up the chance of playing in a crucial tournament where Ryder Cup points are at stake to attend the funeral in Portrush of Heather Clarke, has been clinging on to the 10th and last automatic European team place for the past few weeks.

In taking his decision to withdraw from this points-laden event, he fully realised that he could be overhauled by several of those competing at Medinah.

Lee Westwood, currently 24th in the list, is very much a case in point and the veteran of each European team since 1997 made a big move yesterday with a 69. He claimed that the Ryder Cup is not on his mind this week, that he is simply concentrating on playing in and trying to win a major championship. Unlike, say, Padraig Harrington, he has no regrets at taking the last two weeks away from tournament golf.

“I spent most of that time lying on a beach”, said the deeply-tanned Westwood.

Furthermore, it won’t have escaped McGinley’s attention that Kenneth Ferrie, 14th, and Miguel Angel Jimenez, 18th, both shot opening rounds of 70 to be well in the hunt. As against that, though, the Swede Johan Edfors, a three times winner on the European Tour this season and a very definite contender in 11th place, could do no better than 76, while a round of 80 could end Thomas Bjorn’s prospects of even being favoured with one of Ian Woosnam’s two wild card picks.

To be fair to Bjorn, he was one of those most emotionally moved by yesterday’s prayer service to honour Heather Clarke’s memory, but that could be said of most others and come decision time won’t cut too much ice with Woosnam.

On the American front, Lucas Glover, who had dropped out to 13th in their points list having spent much of the summer within the top 10, shot a superb 66, while the 8th placed JJ Henry did himself no harm with a round of 68, the same mark as Steward Cink who is in 12th spot and known to be in skipper Tom Lehman’s good books.

And what about Brett Wetterich, the man in 10th place and going like a train when he got to four under after eleven. He then ran up an eight at the 12th and a seven at the 17th to finish on 76 and put his K-Club place in the direst jeopardy.