McGinley feeling the pressure

Six words from Paul McGinley summed up just how incredibly close Europe’s Ryder Cup race has become – with only one day to go.

“I am nervous thinking about it,” said the Dubliner. This from the man who two years ago handled the pressure of having a putt to beat the Americans.

Despite one of the best runs of his career, 37-year-old McGinley has reached the point where, with only 18 more holes left, he is still far from safe and cannot relax for a moment.

A third-round 67 in the BMW International Open in Munich took Europe’s 2002 hero to 11 under par, but that was good enough only for ninth place, four strokes behind joint leaders Thomas Levet and Miguel Angel Jimenez, already assured of Ryder Cup berths.

Levet was only a shot off the course record with his blistering 63, the low round of the week so far, but halfway leader Jimenez birdied the par-five last for a 67 and matching 201 total.

As things stand McGinley will make the team, as will David Howell and Ian Poulter, who are just above him at eighth and ninth in the points table.

But Swede Fredrik Jacobson may yet edge one of them out. He is in a five-way tie for fourth on 12 under and if he can move up to second or third it could be good enough.

It all depends, though, on where the others finish and with Howell and Poulter both eight under and joint 18th everything is on the line.

As for the separate, but interconnected battle for Bernhard Langer’s two wild cards, Colin Montgomerie became an even stronger favourite for one of them by shooting 67 and joining Jacobson, while Luke Donald and Alex Cejka are nine under.

If Jacobson fails to climb into an automatic spot, his position as the fourth-highest European on the world rankings – he is 26th – and his form could convince Langer that he and Montgomerie are the two he wants to complete his line-up.

Howell and Poulter, both uncapped, said they were surprisingly calm as they returned rounds of 67 and 69 respectively to stay on course for a debut in Detroit.

"I'm not counting my chickens,'' he said. ``Fredrik Jacobson is a player I rate highly and I have a lot of admiration for, but I've just got to focus on Paul McGinley because there are so many different scenarios.

“I’m going to have shoot a strong score and I feel nervous – as I have for a month. I’m under the cosh.

“I really want to to be on the team. It’s important to me, but there are so many quality players out there.

“The first night I got here I couldn’t sleep, but that was jet-lag. I had 12 hours the next night, but I’ve got butterflies.”

Asked whether the pressure was even greater than he faced at The Belfry, he said: “It’s a different kind of pressure. But it’s up there.”

To keep a bogey off his card was a fine effort, but with the course drying out it was all about making birdies as well and he picked them up at the fifth, sixth, 12th and 16th.

Playing partner Levet, though, had seven – plus an eagle on the 557-yard ninth to match the final round score which won him the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond in July.

Jacobson had two bogeys, but two birdies in the last three holes, making six in all, has kept everything at boiling-point.

Howell was in danger of losing vital ground when he played the first eight holes in only level par, but after a vital 15-foot birdie putt at the next he struck a “beautiful” five-wood to five feet for an eagle at the 11th and added birdies at the 15th and 18th.

“I was remarkably relaxed,” said the Swindon golfer. “I do get nervous, but you never know when it’s going to come on. The way the others are playing is forcing me to concentrate on my own game, thoug.”

Poulter, who saw Sweden’s Joakim Haeggman bogey three of the last five holes and slip a long way off the second place he needs, was annoyed with “silly” bogeys at the 10th and long 11th, but grabbed five birdies.

“The boys are shooting low and it was frustrating to drop those shots, but I’ve not had any butterflies – I don’t get them at the best of times – and if I play half-decent I will be fine.”

Definitely out of the race now is Ulsterman Graeme McDowell, who had to win and is only three under after a 69. France’s Raphael Jacquelin, another to require second place, is five under and surely cannot get there.

On the other hand Paul Casey, sixth in the table, has posted three 69s knowing that it would take a freak result to rob him of his debut. He should have the champagne on ice.