Chopra gets Ryder Cup all-clear

Swedish golfer Daniel Chopra, who took a two-shot lead into the third round of the Western Open in America today, is still eligible for the Ryder Cup after all, it emerged tonight.

Chopra’s name appears at 49th on the current European world list from which the first five members of Ian Woosnam’s side will be chosen and with 60 points on offer to the winner at Cog Hill he could move right in contention.

Enquiries into the 32-year-old’s eligibility for September match at the K Club near Dublin prompted the European tour to study the position.

Keith Waters, the tour’s director of international policy, initially said: “The chances are that he should not be on the list. It’s probably a mistake, but we need to double and triple check this.”

And when that was done Chopra was found to have rejoined the circuit as an affiliate member last November and can therefore continue to collect cup points.

The Orlando-based golfer was born in Stockholm to a Swedish mother and Indian father, but moved to India at the age of seven and in recent years has made the most of his rare appearances on the European tour in Asia.

His only tour event actually in Europe in the last five years was the Open at St Andrews last July – and he missed the halfway cut.

Chopra is chasing his first US Tour victory this weekend, his best finish so far being a fourth place finish in the 2004 Deutsche Bank Championship.

He improved from 108th to 90th on their money list last year and is currently 79th after two top 10 finishes.

Chopra had a chance to win the Ford Championship in Florida in March, but playing with Tiger Woods in the final group on the final day slumped to a 77.

After two opening rounds of 66 at Cog Hill he was 10 under, with Vijay Singh his nearest challenger at eight under.