Wilson sees Ryder chance

Wilson: No professional victories

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Oliver Wilson goes to Gleneagles this weekend looking to nail down a place in Europe's Ryder Cup team.

The 27-year-old from Mansfield is on course to make history by becoming the first player to compete for Europe without winning a tournament in his professional career.

However, his aim to make sure that does not happen by winning the Johnnie Walker Championship, the final event before Nick Faldo confirms his line-up for Valhalla.

If Wilson, who sits in the 10th and last automatic spot entering the final counting event, can do that he will have something in common with captain Faldo.

Back in 1977 Faldo's debut against the Americans came a month after his first Tour win - also at Gleneagles in a tournament called the Skol Lager Individual.

He beat Craig Defoy and Chris Witcher in a play-off, with Tony Jacklin a shot behind.

Fantastic

"I'd love to be on the team no matter what, but to be on the team with a win under my belt would be fantastic. I feel I'm ready and hopefully it will be this week," said Wilson as he practised in the rain.

The former Walker Cup player - he was part of the winning team at Ganton in 2003 - is playing his 109th Tour event this week and has had seven runner-up finishes.

Four of them have been this season, including losing a play-off to Miguel Angel Jimenez at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

Winning that would have earned him 750,000 Ryder Cup points rather than 500,000 and he would now be in the team.

Instead of that, he can be knocked out by any one of Martin Kaymer, Ross Fisher or Nick Dougherty.

If Wilson misses the cut, Dougherty would go ahead of him with a top two finish, Fisher a top three or Kaymer a top 26.

Ian Poulter would have needed a top five if he had not withdrawn to play in America.

With the points not counting there he is left needing one of Faldo's two wild cards - but with Paul Casey, Darren Clarke and Colin Montgomerie in that boat too Poulter's decision has perplexed a lot of people.

He said in his statement: "Boston this week is my only opportunity to qualify for the final two (FedEx Cup) play-off events, as well as being my final opportunity to play my 15 events on the PGA Tour."

Fifteen is the required minimum to keep his membership for next season - but after the Ryder Cup there are six more Tour events, the last two of them in Florida where he has a home.

Wilson said: "I'm a little bit surprised. He's obviously got a plan, but what it is I don't know.

"He's obviously made a decision. From my point of view, I'd think he was pretty comfortable for a pick, but you never know.

"Darren winning (in Holland on Sunday) has made it a bit more open. He's had two wins and has been playing consistently all year.

"The only thing that was holding him back earlier in the year was his putting, but last week he was pretty good and is in good form."

As for his own situation he added: "It's a good position to be in - I'd rather be in my position than one back.

"But it's not going to be easy. If it was I'd have won four or five times by now.

"I'm sure that come Sunday afternoon it's going to be tight. With the quality of players in the mix it will not be a case of thinking that finishing 30th will be enough.

"It's not going to happen - you're going to have to play pretty well."

He half-expected to be paired with two of his cup rivals, but instead partners Lee Westwood and Pablo Larrazabal in the first two rounds.

Dane Soren Hansen, in ninth place on the table, and Fisher, who is 13th, are going head-to-head - and Montgomerie is playing with them.

The 45-year-old's poor form of late has sent his wild card hopes plunging, but if he was to shine this week it might not be too late.

Or has Faldo already decided and is that why Casey and Poulter have stayed in the States?

If Montgomerie, two points short of breaking Faldo's cup points record, does miss out the Ryder Cup team will be without a Scot in it for the first time since 1937.