McGinley closing in on Ryder Cup place

Paul McGinley had to battle to the very last hole of the very last round of the very last tournament for a spot in Europe’s Ryder Cup team last year.

But the Dubliner now hopes to make his race for a place in next September’s side a sprint rather than a marathon.

After his runner-up finish in the HSBC World Match Play championship at Wentworth two weeks ago, McGinley tees off in the Dunhill Links championship in Scotland tomorrow with a chance to go miles ahead on the points table.

Should the 38-year-old take the first prize of over £450,000 (€662,000) on Sunday he will be only around £50,000 (€73,500) short of the total which earned Ian Poulter the final qualifying place for Oakland Hills last season.

The battle for places goes on until the end of August next year, but McGinley might be able to book himself a room at the K Club – not far from his home, of course – before this year is done and dusted.

There is another incentive for him this week.

Michael Campbell, Retief Goosen and Angel Cabrera, the top three on the Order of Merit, are not playing in the celebrity pro-am at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, preferring to take a break between last week’s Presidents Cup match in Virginia and next week’s American Express world championship in San Francisco.

McGinley, even though he has not lifted a solo title since the 2001 Wales Open, lies sixth on the money list, but can leap to third by ending that four-year barren spell.

The absence of Campbell, Goosen and Cabrera also opens the door for Colin Montgomerie and David Howell to close the gap and set up a thrilling last month to the Order of Merit race.

Montgomerie, despite not having tasted success this season either, stands fourth, but would move into second spot by triumphing on Sunday at St Andrews - the links, of course, where he was runner-up to Tiger Woods in the Open in July.

Howell is fifth and will have been boosted by his performance alongside Montgomerie and McGinley in last week’s Seve Trophy.

The Swindon golfer was joint top-scorer with Paul Casey and Swede Henrik Stenson with four points out of five and thrashed Thomas Bjorn six and five in the singles.

The Dane was feeling unwell and was subsequently taken to hospital with a suspected viral infection – he misses this week’s event as a result – but Howell’s seven under par for 13 holes at The Wynyard was further evidence of his rising stature in the game.

Paul Lawrie, Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Stephen Gallacher – the four previous winners of the title – are back to try for a repeat and the field also includes Darren Clarke and former US PGA champion Rich Beem.

With his wife Heather continuing her battle with cancer, Clarke has not played a tour event since the third week of August.

Caddie Billy Foster, though, was in America last week carrying the world number one’s bag in the Presidents Cup. Tiger Woods needed a replacement for the week because Steve Williams returned home to New Zealand, where his fiancee was expecting their first child.

England cricket captain Michael Vaughan, fellow Ashes hero Andrew Strauss and actor Michael Douglas are among the celebrities taking part in the pro-am.

Each professional has an amateur partner for the first three days, with the top 60 pros and top 20 teams progressing to the final round.