US OPEN FOLLOW-UP: LUCAS GLOVER'S US Open victory has taken him from 71st to 18th in the new world rankings. He began the year down at 177th.

Joint runner-up David Duval, meanwhile, has leapt an incredible 740 places to 142nd. The former world number one had missed the cut in seven of his previous nine events and last had a top 10 finish in October 2002.

Rory McIlroy has jumped two positions because of his top 10 finish, moving from 18th to 16th.

McIlroy has also been made joint favourite with world number five Henrik Stenson, who came ninth in Bethpage, for the BMW International Open in Munich which starts tomorrow.

Ross Fisher, however, has withdrawn from the event. Fisher was only one off the lead with two to play at Bethpage Black after the second major of the season spilled into a fifth day, but three-putted the short 17th and finished fifth.

After his overnight flight home from New York the 28-year-old’s management company informed the European Tour that he was feeling too tired to compete this week in Germany, where more rain is forecast throughout the tournament.

Fisher is entered for next week’s French Open, but his schedule is up in the air somewhat with his wife Joanne expecting their first child in the middle of next month – during Open Championship week, in fact.

He has already stated that even if he was six ahead with a round to play at Turnberry he would return home for the birth.

The BMW event also features Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie, Retief Goosen, Luke Donald, Bernhard Langer and John Daly. Defending champion is German Martin Kaymer.

Meanwhile, Glover left the PGA Tour in a huff last season but said lessons learned off the course had helped him capture his first major at the US Open on Monday.

A former All-America college player at Clemson University, Glover said he was slow to realise his potential because he was quick to get down on himself when things went wrong.

After claiming a two-shot victory over world number two Phil Mickelson, Duval and US Tour rookie Ricky Barnes, Glover said taking time off at the end of last season made the difference.

“It was the best thing career- wise I’ve ever done,” said the 29-year-old South Carolinian about ending his season in early September.

“I hung them up after St Louis. I knew I had my card for this year, knew I had a job. I was not playing well enough to keep playing and feel like I could be happy on the golf course. I was taking it home, and I wasn’t myself.”

Glover, whose lone tour victory had come in the 2005 Disney Classic, said his appetite for the game slowly returned.

“That was the point of it. Figure out why I got the way I got. And I did. I was too hard on myself. Just had a bad attitude when it wasn’t going right.

“When I started practising again, my expectations were lower and I had something set to work on. And then starting in January, I was fresh.” Glover gained confidence from top 10s this season at Torrey Pines and Quail Hollow, two of the tour’s most testing tracks, and booked a spot in the Open as a qualifier.

New-found patience was applied to a stumbling start and a three-hole stretch on Sunday which nearly derailed his bid.

“My attitude’s better,” he said. “Something bad happens, let it go. I doubled the first hole this week. Didn’t slam a club. Didn’t do anything.” In Sunday’s third round, he bogeyed the sixth, double- bogeyed the seventh and bogeyed the eighth before righting the ship.

“Two years ago, if yesterday would have happened . . . six, seven and eight, no chance I would be sitting here,” he said. “No chance.” Tricky winds and drying conditions increased the difficulty at Bethpage but Glover held firm.

After parring 17, Glover, who leads the tour in all-around driving, used a six-iron off the tee to avoid trouble and reached the green with a nine-iron to effectively end it. Following his triumph, Glover, who had missed the cut in his three previous Opens, showed emotion only when asked about old coach Dick Harmon, who died three years ago.

“I think about him every day,” said Glover, who shared one bit of advice from Harmon that echoed in his mind this week. “He always told me I was good enough.”

World Cup News: Scotland, winners only two years ago, and 2005 champions Wales will both have to qualify for this November's World Cup in China unless a number of leading players decide not to play.

The 18 exempt nations are determined by the world rankings and if everyone takes up their places the Scots, whose leading player is 127th-ranked Gary Orr, would be 23rd and Wales, for whom Stephen Dodd leads the way at 189th, come in at 26th.

Players have until Friday week to confirm their participation. Colin Montgomerie and Marc Warren won the title in 2007, but are currently 205th and 267th in the world respectively. Dodd and Bradley Dredge won four years ago. Dredge has slumped to 238th.