Stenson still tops Ryder rankings

With Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley taking the weekend off, there was little change among the Irish players’ Ryder Cup standings over the weekend.

Mon, 08 May, 2006 - 20:25

With Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley taking the weekend off, there was little change among the Irish players’ Ryder Cup standings over the weekend.

The only other realistic Irish contender for a Ryder Cup place, Graeme McDowell, had another disappointing weekend at the Wachovia Championship where he missed the cut.

McDowell faces a huge task to move into the automatic qualifying positions by August 28.

Paul McGinley remains the only Irish player within the qualifying positions but Darren Clarke (9th on the World Points List) and Padraig Harrington (13th on both the World Points List and European Points List) are well poised to make a move in the coming months.

Meanwhile, Jim Furyk, the man expected to be Tiger Woods’ partner in September’s Ryder Cup, is up to third in the American points standings after winning the Wachovia Championship in Charlotte.

Furyk, beaten by Vijay Singh at the fourth hole of a play-off last year, beat South African Trevor Immelman at the first extra hole on his return to the event.

Latest leading places in the European Ryder Cup tables after the Spanish Open and Zurich Classic (capitals indicate players currently in qualifying positions)

(Five players qualify off world ranking table, next five off European points table. Captain Ian Woosnam then adds two wild cards)

World points:

1 HENRIK STENSON 182.82

2 JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL 173.26

3 SERGIO GARCIA 147.45

4 COLIN MONTGOMERIE 135.34

5 LUKE DONALD 120.51

6 David Howell 119.36

7 Paul Broadhurst 89.53

8 Paul McGinley 88.54

9 Darren Clarke 85.27

10 Nick Dougherty 84.27