Garcia boosts Europe after Donald opts out
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Your support makes all the difference.Sergio Garcia's play-off victory in America has lifted him to third in the race for places in Europe's Ryder Cup team. That is good news for the captain, Bernhard Langer, after two weeks which have seen Jesper Parnevik, Carl Pettersson, Mathias Gronberg and now Britain's Luke Donald rule themselves out of September's match in Detroit.
Sergio Garcia's play-off victory in America has lifted him to third in the race for places in Europe's Ryder Cup team. That is good news for the captain, Bernhard Langer, after two weeks which have seen Jesper Parnevik, Carl Pettersson, Mathias Gronberg and now Britain's Luke Donald rule themselves out of September's match in Detroit.
Donald yesterday joined the three Swedes in saying he does not intend to fit 11 European Tour events into his schedule and as a result has been omitted from the new Ryder Cup points table issued yesterday. The four US Tour-based players are all refusing to commit to the 11 European Tour events necessary for membership and therefore for Ryder Cup eligibility. The 11-tournament rule has sparked controversy, with Lee Westwood among those who believe Donald and the rest should not be punished for basing themselves on the US Tour.
Donald has been agonising over the decision for months. In March the 26-year-old said: "There's no doubt I would love to play in the Ryder Cup, but I've made my home in the States now and I don't think it would make sense to uproot myself and return to Europe just so that I can play the 11."
Garcia is not planning his first tournament in Europe until the Open at Troon in July, but unlike the others he is certain of his place in all four majors and all three world championships this season and as a consequence needs to add only four other tournaments.
The 24-year-old, whose last European Tour win was the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa at the end of last year, is also back in the world's top 20 at 17th. Garcia, who struggled for much of last year after making swing changes at the end of 2002, won the Byron Nelson in a play-off on Sunday when he holed a short par putt at the first extra hole. Although he says he needs a bit more confidence with his putting, Garcia believes his overall game is in the best shape of his career.
Tiger Woods' lead over Vijay Singh at the top of the world rankings stretched further after his fourth-place finish in the Byron Nelson, one shot behind Garcia.
Miguel Angel Jimenez's third win of the season, the Asian Open in Shanghai, put him 35th in the rankings, while Colin Montgomerie drops one to 50th. Montgomerie cannot go any lower after this week's Deutsche Bank-SAP Open in Germany if he is to earn an exemption for the Open Championship at his home course.
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