Last year’s Challenge Tour Number One Edoardo Molinari of Italy just missed out on ousting Luke Donald from the all-important top nine places in Europe’s Ryder Cup list last Sunday.
Molinari needed a first or second place finish at the Nordea Scandinavian Masters to move up to fourth on the World Points list, but finished third.
He is just ahead of Donald now, however, on the European Points list, from which the last five spots are drawn at the end of next month.
Like England’s Ross McGowan, who currently sits in the fifth and final spot on the European Points table, Molinari is hoping to join the ever-expanding list of former Challenge Tour players to compete in The Ryder Cup.
Should both men make Captain Colin Montgomerie’s Team to take on their American counterparts at The Celtic Manor Resort in the City of Newport, Wales, from October 1-3, it would take to 18 the number of former Challenge Tour Members who have sampled the unique atmosphere of The Ryder Cup.
England’s Peter Baker, Swede Joakim Haeggman and Italian Costatino Rocca all lined up for Europe at The Belfry in 2003, whilst more recently the English trio of Ian Poulter, Justin Rose and Oliver Wilson were joined by the Scandinavian duo of Søren Hansen and Henrik Stenson at Valhalla two years ago.
In between times, Per-Ulrik Johansson (1995 and 1997), Ignacio Garrido (1997), Thomas Björn (1997 and 2002), Jarmo Sandelin (1999), Andrew Coltart (1999), Niclas Fasth (2002), Pierre Fulke (2002) and Thomas Levet (2004) have all represented Europe in the biennial contest.
