Sport

European pair miss US Open cut-off

England's Paul Broadhurst and Swede Carl Pettersson have just missed out on earning exemptions into next month's US Open by 0…

Mon May 29 2006 - 01:00

England's Paul Broadhurst and Swede Carl Pettersson have just missed out on earning exemptions into next month's US Open by 0.1 and 0.01pts respectively.

The latest world rankings show Pettersson and Broadhurst at 51st and 52nd and today was the cut-off for the top 50 to be given invitations to the second major of the year. The pair now have to go through qualifying tournaments next Monday, Broadhurst at Walton Heath in Surrey and Pettersson at one of several sites in America.

Lee Westwood's missed cut in the BMW Championship at Wentworth - his fifth in a row - means he does not have an exempt place at Winged Foot either. He is 55th in the new rankings and the former European number one said last Friday he had no intention of playing at Walton Heath, the venue nominated on his entry form, because he is competing at the Memorial tournament in Ohio this week and has other engagements next Monday.

David Howell's victory in the European Tour's flagship event puts him in the world top 10 for the first time and runner-up Simon Khan is all the way up to 89th. A week ago he was only 159th on the European Order of Merit.

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Luke Donald falls out of the top 10 to make way for Howell and he has also fallen out of the top 10 in the Ryder Cup standings. If he does not get back in Donald will need one of Ian Woosnam's two wild cards, but Padraig Harrington, Thomas Bjorn, Darren Clarke and Westwood also require one as things stand.

Clarke remains the highest ranked Irishman in the world rankings at 19th, 10 places ahead of Harrington, who tied sixth in the BMW Championship at Wentworth.

Paul McGinley is 37th in the standings and he, along with Clarke and Harrington, are the only Irishmen currently guaranteed a place at the US Open by virtue of their top 50 ranking. McGinley, who missed out on a chance to compete at Wentworth, where he was second in 2005, is hopeful of returning to tour action at this week's Wales Open at Celtic Manor.

The Dubliner is recovering from knee surgery after he was forced to retire from the Nissan Irish Open to have the operation a fortnight ago.

McGinley is one of eight Irishmen set to play in Wales alongside Stephen Browne; Michael Hoey, David Higgins, Peter Lawrie, Graeme McDowell, Damien McGrane and Gary Murphy.