Ryder Cup goal for Dredge

When Bradley Dredge teamed up with Stephen Dodd to win the World Cup for Wales last November he immediately set himself another target – playing in the Ryder Cup.

Now, in Dublin and across the River Liffey from where September’s match takes place, Dredge has the chance to make a huge leap towards a possible debut.

Who should Dredge find as his closest challenger at the halfway stage of the Smurfit Kappa European Open? None other than Dodd.

The pair return this morning to the K Club’s Smurfit course – the Ryder Cup is on the adjoining Palmer lay-out – on nine under and eight under respectively, but with a massive difference in how they view the fast-approaching match against the Americans.

Dodd is only 90th on this season’s Order of Merit and states: “I’ve not thought about the Ryder Cup for one minute.”

But Dredge commented: “That’s how laid back Stephen is. I’m different. I’ve set it as one of my goals. I like to aim high.”

The 33-year-old – he celebrated his birthday with a 65 on Thursday – is 23rd in the cup standings, but with a €577,000 first prize on offer he could jump all the way into 10th place.

Despite a testing wind and his decision to play more attacking golf, Dredge has not had a bogey yet.

But only last week at the French Open he was third with a round to go and then fell back to 17th with a 75.

“All you can do is try to get yourself in with a chance for the weekend,” said Dredge. “I’ve done that again and you draw a line under it and start again.”

Another Welshman, Ian Woosnam, is captain of this year’s European team, but he will be interested in far more than just how Dredge and Dodd fare in the final two rounds.

In third place is Darren Clarke, a member of the last four sides who is down in 28th place in the cup standings at present.

The Ulsterman could go 11th by taking the title tomorrow, but Clarke’s wife has been battling cancer for two years and he said after his 68 yesterday: “Even if I was in the team I don’t know that I would be able to play in it. Heather’s struggling a lot at the minute.”

The 37-year-old will be trying as hard as he can to climb the cup table, and added: “With all the things going on, there’s no point giving up on anything.

"Things are tough for me at the minute, but when I come out here I still want to play well.”

Paul Broadhurst and John Bickerton, seventh and 10th in the cup race, both missed the cut last night, but eighth-placed Paul McGinley, convinced he would make an early exit too when he signed for a two-over total, discovered six hours later it was just enough.

It could be the break the Dubliner needs to re-ignite a challenge which has become a real struggle of late.

“The game’s not coming easy,” he said. “I’m not uptight about the Ryder Cup. That’s not the problem – the problem is I’m off form.

“The pressure of making the Ryder Cup is something I’ve dealt with twice. That’s not the issue. I’ve just got to keep going, but I’m running out of ideas and confidence in myself.”

McGinley played the first two rounds with Woosnam, who said: “It’s like I’ve got a bad influence on these guys at the moment.

“Every week it goes it gets more difficult, but what we’ve got to remember is Paul’s still in there at the moment and it’s going to take somebody to pass him.

“He’s just got to be patient. He just needs to hit a few shots, maybe play a course that suits him. I guess that all we can do is just wish him the best.”