Luke Donald will be hoping his record of being in  four winning Ryder Cup teams will help after he crashed out of the FedExCup Playoffs with a round of 67 to finish even par at the Deutsche Bank Championship — and outside the top 70 in the points standings who qualify to travel now to Denver.

Now he’ll head home to Jupiter, Fla., and wait for a phone call from Ryder Cup Captain Paul McGinley to see if he is one of three Captain’s Picks.

Most observers believe McGinley will use two of those picks Stephen Gallacher and Ryder Cup stalwart Ian Poulter, leaving the final spot to go to either Donald or Lee Westwood.

“If you’d asked me a few weeks ago, I feel like I probably was going to be (picked),” Donald said. “Now I’m not so sure.”

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)

This season has been a frustrating one for Donald.

He had just three top-10s on the PGA TOUR and only one on the European Tour. He also hasn’t finished in the top 25 of a tournament since April.

Westwood’s year arguably has been just as bad, if not worse.

Since a victory in Malaysia in April, he has just one top-10 on the PGA TOUR. He missed the cut at the U.S. Open and Open Championship and failed to qualify for the second FedExCup Playoffs event.

“I told (McGinley) I felt like my game was pretty close,” said Donald, who last spoke with Europe’s Captain after missing the cut at last week’s The Barclays. “It seems like I have been in a bit of a mental rut and not been able to get any momentum going on the golf course … But I feel like the game isn’t far away.”

Twice before, in 2004 and 2010, Donald was captain’s pick. He also lobbied hard for McGinley to lead Europe and boasts an impressive 10-4-1 career record, which includes a 3-1 mark in singles, in four appearances.

Westwood, meanwhile, is 18-13-6 in six appearances but just 3-5 in Singles.

“Hopefully (McGinley) looks a little past form,” Donald said. “It’s not a nice feeling to wait it out.

“If you don’t make it automatically you only have yourself to blame. I wouldn’t hold it against Lee and wouldn’t hold it against Captain McGinley (if I didn’t get picked). Fortunately, two times it has gone my way. Hopefully it’ll continue that way.