Rafa Cabrera Bello hopes top-10 finish in Boston will earn Ryder Cup call
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Tuesday 4 September 2018 22:31, UK
Rafa Cabrera Bello believes he has boosted his chances of earning a Ryder Cup wildcard for Europe despite a disappointing finish to the Dell Technologies Championship.
Cabrera Bello opted to play in the second of the FedExCup Play-Off events rather than travel to Denmark to compete under the watchful eye of European captain Thomas Bjorn, and his decision was justified as he finished inside the top 10 after four sub-70 rounds.
But it could have been so much better for the Spaniard after he followed three early birdies with four in a row around the turn on the final day, and he missed a superb opportunity to post a testing clubhouse target when he dropped shots at 13, 15 and the last.
The 34-year-old settled for a 68 and a four-round score of 11 under par, and he now faces an anxious wait to see if he will be among Bjorn's four captain's picks when the Dane finalises his team on Wednesday, live at 2pm on Sky Sports.
"Obviously right now disappointed, but I gave myself a chance, and that's obviously good in the big picture," said Cabrera Bello, whose performance ensured he will be among the 70-player field for the BMW Championship, starting on Thursday.
"When I birdied 10 I saw that I was tied for the lead, and I birdied 11 so I figured I was in the solo lead. But I wasn't really paying attention to it. I was just trying to finish the round properly, keep the good play that I was demonstrating throughout the day, and I couldn't do that today.
"This is my fifth week in a row, and it's been lots of golf lately for me. I've kind of been pushing through, and I couldn't afford to take this week off because I wasn't sure if I would have made next week. And it didn't turn out all that bad being here."
Cabrera Bello impressed on his Ryder Cup debut at Hazeltine two years ago, and he is determined to earn another crack at Team USA for this month's showpiece in Paris.
Asked about his prospects of getting the call from Bjorn, he added: "I've done everything I can. I love Ryder Cup, and it would be a huge honour to represent my continent again. And I would be 100 per cent available if Thomas needs me.
"I do understand it's a difficult pick because there are lots of good players outside. But I feel like even in my best chance, if he was trying to see if I was in form or not, I think this week proves that I am."
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