Paul McGinley believes he is almost certain of his place in the Ryder Cup team after a nerve-wracking sudden death play-off victory at the Wales Open at Newport yesterday.
McGinley parred the fifth extra hole to eventually see off Daren Lee and Paul Lawrie and claim the 201,685 Ryder Cup points that lifted him from 10th to eighth in the cup standings.
"I don't feel I'm 100 per cent there yet but I'm getting close to it now," said the 34-year-old Dubliner after his third European Tour victory.
"There was a big difference between winning and coming second in terms of Ryder Cup points and that was a lot of pressure. That's what drove me on.
"It's been on my mind since the qualifying started and I really felt I could make the team. Everybody knows how much I wanted to make the team and I've done 90 per cent of it now.
"I feel very fulfilled that I've done what I've set out to do. I've broken the back of it and it's nice to have so many points on the board.
"I don't know how many points I need but hopefully I can make sure in the next two weeks at the USPGA and NEC Invitational."
McGinley, Lawrie and Lee had finished tied on six-under-par 138 after two rounds were finally completed on Saturday evening, Lee finishing in near-darkness at 8:30.
The intention was then to reduce the tournament to 54 holes and play the final 18 yesterday before further heavy rain in the morning meant it was impossible to get all 81 remaining players round the saturated and steeply undulating Wentwood Hills course.
The event was therefore reduced to 36 holes - with 75 per cent of the original prize money awarded - and a play-off was required on the par three 12th hole to decide a winner, the first time in European Tour history that an event shortened to 36 holes had to be decided in such a way.
"Goran Ivanisevic said God sent the rain for him at Wimbledon and maybe he sent it for me too!" McGinley added following his first play-off success after two previous losses, his win also ending a run of five second places since his last win in 1997.
"I felt the pressure all morning, even sitting having breakfast, and went back to my room to try and calm down two hours before the decision to have a play-off was made. It's the most tension-packed situation I've been in because most of the pressure came from within. I felt unbelievably determined to do it."
Lee missed a great opportunity to win it on the first extra hole when, with Lawrie and McGinley only able to make par, he left his birdie putt from 12 feet inches short of the hole.
Lawrie was the first to be eliminated when he three-putted the second extra hole while the remaining pair then bogeyed the 208-yard hole at the third attempt after finding sand off the tee, Lee's putt for victory from 12 feet lipping out.
Chasing his first tour win, Lee saved par at the fourth time of asking with two putts from long range as McGinley made a regulation par. He could not save par next time round however after missing the green and McGinley splashed out to two feet from the greenside bunker to seal a nerve-wracking win.
The reduction to 36 holes was the only realistic option open to tournament director Mike Stewart but inevitably meant some players were disappointed.
Wales' Phil Price for instance missed out on the chance to improve on his overnight position of joint 14th and saw himself knocked down from ninth to 10th in the standings by McGinley.
"I'm disappointed not to play but that's the way it goes," Price said. "There's nothing you can do about the weather. It hasn't helped me at all and I'm sure it has given Paul a huge boost."
