Gallacher plans final assault for Ryder Cup spot

Phil Casey 07:33 14/08/2014
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  • Ryder Cup on his mind: Stephen Gallacher.

    Stephen Gallacher and Francesco Molinari will look to boost their Ry­der Cup hopes in this week’s final regular event of the PGA Tour sea­son – the Wyndham Championship.

    The European pair have stayed in the United States after last week’s PGA Championship, where Gallacher missed the cut and Moli­nari finished in a tie for 59th.

    Gallacher is less than 13 points behind Graeme McDowell, who currently occupies the final auto­matic qualifying place, and will fly across the Atlantic and play the final two qualifying events on the European Tour, the Czech Masters and Italian Open.

    “We don’t get many chances to play in a team event, especially on home soil, and that’s why I’ll be giving it my all over the next few weeks,” he said.

    Molinari is more than 30 points adrift of McDowell and will need to produce something special in either Greensboro or at his home event at the end of August to earn a third consecutive cup appearance at Gleneagles.

    The Wyndham Championship also decides which players qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs, with the top 125 on the standings ad­vancing to the first of four possible events, The Barclays, next week.

    England’s Paul Casey starts the week ranked 125th, with three-time major winner Padraig Harrington a lowly 188th.

    One player who has no such wor­ries is defending champion Patrick Reed, who is ninth in the standings.

    The 24-year-old won his first PGA Tour title at Sedgefield Coun­try Club last year, but generated bigger headlines after his victory in the WGC-Cadillac Championship in March by claiming he was one of the top five players in the world.

    “I believe that if I play well that I can reach my goal, which is to be­come a top five player in the world,” Reed said yesterday.

    “I know it’s go­ing to take time. It doesn’t happen overnight and it definitely doesn’t happen over a year or two. You need some time to get there.

    “But that’s one of my goals and what I’m going to shoot for. That’s everyone’s goal out here is to be­come the best player in the world.”

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