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Cup charge shifts Watney's focus

Image: Nick Watney: Looking to get on the United States' team

Nick Watney heads into the Deutsche Bank Championship with a place in the United States' Ryder Cup team now firmly on his mind.

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Americans have final chance to press Ryder Cup claims in Boston

Nick Watney heads into the Deutsche Bank Championship with a place in the United States' Ryder Cup team now firmly on his mind after victory at The Barclays last weekend. After a slow season, Watney is finishing fast and winning the first leg of the FedEx Cup play-off not only sprung him to the top of the rankings but also into Ryder Cup contention. The United States captain Davis Love III will confirm his last four picks after this weekend's tournament in Boston and Watney is anxious to press his claims further. "I obviously would love to be on the team," Watney said after his win over the infamous Bethpage Black course. "I haven't performed how I would have liked this year as far as making that team but it's out of my control, so all I can do is try to get ready to play next week and see where the chips fall. "I'm thinking (about it) much more now than I was. "I didn't deserve to be in the conversation because I had not played my way in. It's been not quite the year I would have wanted. "Someone told me that Davis said he wanted a hot player, and we still have a week to go, but like I said, I'd love to be on the team."

Options

Love has a wealth of options to choose from, all of whom will be looking to press their claims, like Watkins, at TPC Boston. Hunter Mahan, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker and Rickie Fowler finished just outside the top eight automatic qualifiers and are to be under consideration by Love. In addition, Brandt Snedeker finished second last weekend and Dustin Johnson tied for third with Spain's Sergio Garcia. Afterwards, Garcia said Watney and Snedeker had both "played great" and suggested they had done enough to make the United States team. "The Ryder Cup's definitely on my mind," Snedeker told USA Today. "But I'm not letting it affect the way I play. I try to win every golf tournament. "It gives me more motivation and if I do that, I know I will make the decision easy for them. "Davis has an extremely difficult choice with a bunch of guys. You can't go wrong with any of them." Love will announce his team in New York on September 4, with the United States to face Europe over the weekend of September 28-30 at Medinah Country Club in Illinois.

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