Star European trio sweat on Ryder spots

Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald and Justin Rose are all left needing wild cards for the Ryder Cup after the United States PGA Championship – Harrington by less than €1,200.

Martin Kaymer’s USPGA victory knocked Donald out of fourth place on the world points list which provides the first four places in Colin Montgomerie’s side.

Harrington, meanwhile, was narrowly overtaken by Paul Casey on the European points list from which the other five spots are decided.

However, Casey said after he finished joint 12th that he, like Harrington and Rose, has decided not to play the race-ending Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in two weeks.

And with Donald wanting to stay in America as well it means Montgomerie might now have to leave one of his star players out.

Latest leading positions in the European Ryder Cup table after the USPGA Championship (top four on world list qualify, then next five on European points list. Captain Colin Montgomerie adds three wild cards on August 29):

WORLD POINTS

1 LEE WESTWOOD 422.0, 2 RORY McILROY 316.9, 3 MARTIN KAYMER 285.4, 4 GRAEME McDOWELL 249.3, 5 Luke Donald 231.1, 6 Edoardo Molinari 218.4, 7 Ian Poulter 211.2, 8 Padraig Harrington 204.9, 9 Justin Rose 195.7, 10 Francesco Molinari 172.5

EUROPEAN POINTS

1 Lee Westwood 3,446,137, 2 Martin Kaymer 2,638,282, 3 Rory McIlroy 2,368,205, 4 Graeme McDowell 2,307,041, 5 IAN POULTER 2,238,874, 6 ROSS FISHER 1,708,614, 7 FRANCESCO MOLINARI 1,612,747, 8 MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ 1,499,775, 9 PAUL CASEY 1,487,776, 10 Padraig Harrington 1,486,529

(Capitals denote players in qualifying positions)