The England pair of Luke Donald and Ian Poulter will now have to rely on a Gleneagles ‘wildcard’ pick after missing the halfway cut in the Barclays Championship in Paramus, New Jersey.
The event is the opening event of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Play-Off Series but also the final Ryder Cup qualifying event for the US-based Europeans.
Donald, who is currently ranked 10th on the World Points table and just one spot outside of the automatic top-nine qualifiers, had just two birdies but also five bogeys for a two over par 36-hole tally and one shot shy of playing all four days on the Ridgewood Country Club course.
The former World No. 1 ranked Donald has represented Europe on four occasions since making his debut in 2004 in Ireland and has been a member of the past three victorious teams.
However on two of those occasions, 2004 and 2010, Donald has had to rely on a captain’s ‘pick’.
Ian Poulter and Luke Donald now needing a ‘wildcard’ pick to compete in this year’s Ryder Cup. (Photo – Manus O’Reilly/www.golffile.ie)
Poulter also missed the New Jersey cut by a stroke after shooting a pair of 72s, and spoiling his second round effort in bogeying his 16th and penultimate holes.
Poulter is a veteran also four Ryder Cups and was inspirational in helping Europe turn around a four-point deficit heading into the all-deciding Sunday Singles two years ago at Medinah.
However he is currently ranked 12th on the points table after an indifferent European Team qualifying season capped by a second place in his very first event of the 2013/14 PGA Tour year at the WGC – HSBC Champions event in Shanghai.
If Poulter is to be afforded a ‘wildcard’ pick, as most observers agree he now will, then it will be like Donald the second such occasion.
Fellow Englishman Lee Westwood, and lying in 16th place on the points table, kept alive his goal of continuing to impress European captain Paul McGinley and be assured of playing all four rounds in New Jersey despite making the cut right on the one over par mark.
However Graeme McDowell and the hero of the 2010 victorious European side looks to have guaranteed himself being avoiding a pick in shooting a second round 68 to move to a share of 16th place on four under par.
The three-time Ryder Cup capped McDowell is right on the bubble in ninth place and while he’s seen off the challenge of Donald his biggest concern is the efforts at the Czech Open of Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher, who is just two shots off the lead with two rounds to play in the European Tour event.
If the current 11th Ryder Cup placed Gallacher were to win this weekend he would leap-frog both Donald and McDowell.
“I was having breakfast this morning and looking on TV and seeing what Jamie (Donaldson) and Stephen Gallacher are doing, and it was pretty hard not to ignore,” said McDowell.
“I didn’t realise just how close Stephen was to me on the World Ranking Points table and what he’s doing over there in the Czech Republic now has my attention.
“There is nothing guaranteed when it comes to picks and if Stephen were to win there then all of a sudden there is going to be one pick less.
“So if Stevie gets himself inside the top-nine automatic spots then you don’t know what going to happen and that’s why making the cut here in New Jersey is big for me.
“You’ve got players right behind me like Donald, Poulter and Westwood needing picks also.”
McGinley and rival USA captain Tom Watson will announce their picks on Tuesday 2nd September.
