The last qualifying event for the European Ryder Cup team tees off today at the BMW International Open in Munich and it really has come down to the wire. The current European Ryder Cup points sees seven players secure in their automatic qualification spots however Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley and Jose Maria Olazábal can still all be caught.
There are endless permutations and combinations however here is the overview. If Colin Montgomerie finishes 47th or higher in the event then this will push Olazábal off the World Cup Points list and into the last qualifying place on the European Points list. This puts him within reach of the preceding five players Paul Broadhurst, Johan Edfors, John Bickerton and Thomas Bjorn. Olazábal however is leaving it all in the hands of the Gods as he has chosen not to participate in the event and go hunting in northern Spain instead. Should he fail to automatically qualify he must be considered as one of the top wildcard picks for Woosnam in light of his previous experience.
All is not plain sailing for McGinley or Harrington either who will feel a real desire to be part of the team as it take place on their home ground. A failure to make the cut by Harrington would leave him open to being caught by either Broadhurst and Edfors. McGinley meanwhile needs to make a better showing as he could potentially be caught by Broadhurst, Edfors or Bickerton.
See this article for how the qualification system works.
i think edfors is worth a wildcard. i seriously dont know what kind of mental state clarke would be in to play and we need everyone on it 100% – the septics are up for it this time