Carl Pettersson vaulted into contention for a spot on the European Ryder Cup team with a convincing victory at the Memorial tournament.

The Swede was ranked 24th on the European world points standings but could have been ranked even higher had his PGA Tour victory in Tampa last October and runner-up finish the following week count.

This was because he was not a member of the European Tour at the time, which did not allow him to join until the end of the season even though Ryder Cup qualification began last September.

"I tried to rejoin the European Tour in the middle of last year and the tour said I couldn't," Pettersson said. "They said you can only join between seasons, so I had a win and a second place that got washed out on the points list. This kind of makes up for it."

Only the top five players on the world points standings will automatically make the team, so Pettersson still has a lot of work to do. However, with three months until the team is finalised, and three major championships to be played, he now has every chance to make the team to defend the cup against the United States at the K Club in Ireland in September, especially if he keeps playing like he did at Muirfield Village.

Even though 28-year-old Pettersson has lived half his life in North Carolina, there is no doubt where his loyalties lie. "I've lived here for a lot of years, but deep down I am European and if I make the team, I'll try to represent Europe as best I can," he said.

"I've been a golf nut for a long time. I've watched a lot of Ryder Cups over the years and I always pull for Europe."