McGinley on brink of Ryder Cup spot

Paul McGinley’s first top-10 finish in a major has taken him to the brink of earning a second Ryder Cup cap.

The Dubliner who sank Europe’s winning putt at The Belfry two years ago leapt from 15th to 10th in the race for places by finishing joint sixth in the United States PGA Championship.

McGinley did not even know he was playing in the event until 10 days before it began, but he produced a 69, one of only two sub-70 scores of the final day, and declared himself “chuffed to bits” after taking another giant leap towards earning a second Ryder Cup cap.

Two more weeks remain before Bernhard Langer knows his side, but the bonus for McGinley is that as a member of the 2002 side he is in this week’s NEC World Championship in Akron and the two players immediately above him, David Howell and Ian Poulter, are not because they failed to climb into the world’s top 50.

On his performance McGinley, joint runner-up in the Dutch Open two weeks ago, said: “Obviously I am delighted.

“There is a lot of pressure on me and I have done really well. Everybody knows what is at stake and I desperately want to be on the team again.

“There is a lot of adrenalin hopping around my body. I have a buzz at the moment and I have had a good run, but it is very much unfinished business.”

By finishing down in 70th spot Colin Montgomerie moved up only from 21st to 20th in the race, but he will be at Firestone and he remains favourite for one of Langer’s two wild cards.

Langer is hosting a dinner in Akron for those cup candidates who are there and Montgomerie waits to see how the conversation develops.

“It is not my job to seek him out. If he wants to chat I am always available - and he obviously doesn’t,” added Montgomerie, who says he knows nothing about his former partner’s thinking at the moment.

Langer is keeping his cards close to his chest, but unless Montgomerie makes a mess of the next two weeks it will be a huge shock if his experience is not called upon.

Five of the side will be known on Sunday from a world ranking points list and in position to claim those are Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia, Darren Clarke, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Lee Westwood.

Garcia and Westwood missed the cut last week and Harrington and Clarke fell back badly on the last day, Harrington with a 78 for 45th place and Clarke, third overnight, with a 76 for 13th.