Win makes Chopra a surprise Ryder Cup candidate

Swedish golfer Daniel Chopra achieved his first US Tour victory today - and with it became a surprise contender for Europe's Ryder Cup team.

The Florida-based 33-year-old has not played a tournament in Europe since missing the halfway cut at the 2005 Open championship at St Andrews, but because he is an affiliate member of the European Tour, he does qualify for cup points.

Winning the Ginn sur Mer Classic after it spilled into an extra day puts Chopra eighth on the World Points list, from which the first five places in Nick Faldo's side will come.

Chopra resumed as joint leader with compatriot Fredrik Jacobson and Japan's Shigeki Maruyama, but had the advantage over them of having the par-five 16th still to play, birdied it and two closing pars earned him the win.

Former Volvo Masters champion Jacobson, who just missed out on the 2004 team, is not currently eligible for a place.

Leading places in the European Ryder Cup tables (top five in world list qualify, plus next five on the European points list. Captain Nick Faldo then adds two wild cards):

(Capitals denote players in qualifying positions)

WORLD POINTS

1 SOREN HANSEN 56.55pts, 2 NICK DOUGHERTY 55.14, 3 LEE WESTWOOD 54.59, 4 JUSTIN ROSE 54.43, 5 PHILLIP ARCHER 43.17, 6 Steve Webster 37.72, 7 Gregory Bourdy 35.37, 8 Daniel Chopra 32.40, 9 Sergio Garcia 30.30, 10 Robert Karlsson 29.99, 11 Ian Poulter 29.56, 12 Peter Whiteford 27.84

EUROPEAN POINTS

1 Lee Westwood 708,472, 2 Nick Dougherty 652,584, 3 STEVE WEBSTER 543,251, 4 Soren Hansen 538,214, 5 Phillip Archer 476,486, 6 Justin Rose 466,689, 7 GREGORY BOURDY 440,278, 8 ROBERT KARLSSON 434,458, 9 IAN POULTER 308,218, 10 BRADLEY DREDGE 281,176, 11 Rory McIlroy 277,255, 12 Alastair Forsyth 271,250