US PGA Championship / Bill Elliott / 04 August 2008 /

Only four events remain for players to force their way into Faldo's thinking so the USPGA is a great time to produce a good performance, says Bill Elliott.

It is the sub-plot that, for us over here anyway, that is fast overtaking the main story that will be the 90th USPGA Championship this week. Inevitably this compelling narrative is embroidered by the Ryder Cup and the now panicky rush for automatic places or to impress skipper Nick Faldo.

Put simply, time is running out for those players who have not already secured their berths in the side to play the USA next month. After this week there are just three qualifying events left - Scandinavian Masters, KLM Open and the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles - before Faldo has to finalise his side by naming his two captain's picks.

The other fact is that right now Faldo must be as confused as the rest of us as to who the two lucky players are to be. Certainly, I have never known such uncertainty surrounding a European team this close to the actual match. And this is why this final major of 2008 with its huge pot of prize-money can sort almost everything out and make life so much simpler for Faldo.

The Europeans select their side from the top five in the world rankings ands then the top five in their own Money List not already qualified. This is a wee bit complicated compared to the old first-come-first-served format and was designed to accommodate those players who tend to do their best work on the US Tour. However, it is not quite working out as nicely as everyone had hoped.

At present it looks like six players are safe to be sized up for their jackets: Lee Westwood, Padraig Harrington, Henrik Stenson, Miguel-Angel Jiminez, Robert Karlsson and Graeme McDowell. This, you will have noticed, means that the likes of Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Luke Donald and, of course, Old Man Ryder himself, Colin Montgomerie are floundering around and out there somewhere.

All except Donald - now almost certainly a Ryder no-show because of a wrist injured during a photo-shoot - are playing at the wonderful Oakland Hills in Michigan this week and each has a lot to try to do. Faldo's prayers would be answered if Garcia and Rose could get their acts together and finish high enough to re-enter the more secure automatic placings while another sound performance from Darren Clarke and a return to form by Monty would help enormously.

But then there are the likes of Ian Poulter - so desperate to make the side again that he has started talking sense on a pleasingly consistent basis - and Soren Hansen, Oliver Wilson, Martin Kaymer and Nick Dougherty. Each of these guys is dancing around, or close to, the last few automatic spots and each will be under the most exquisite pressure this week knowing that a top ten finish in this USPGA could seal the deal for any of them.

Of course, the chance of any of them winning is slight. You have to send a search party out to find the last European to win a USPGA and even then you might well never see this party again it was so long ago. Still, you never know. One thing in everyone's favour is that the USPGA, forever condemned to be the add-on runt of the major litter, tends to favour one-off champs who never quite shine again.

Trawling through the records I came up with this stat: of the 89 USPGAs to date, 31 golfers have claimed the Wanamaker Trophy as their only major victory. This in turn means that there is a better than one in three chance of someone stepping briefly out of the chorus line to enjoy the limelight before stepping back into the shadows.

If this could be one of the second rank Europeans it would be a terrific blow prior to a Ryder Cup that is going to mean more than ever this year following a series of heavy beatings suffered for the Americans. Better still, if an established star like Garcia or Rose, maybe even Poulter, could do it then Faldo would be a very happy bunny indeed.

Whatever, the need now is for Europe's better golfers to step properly and eagerly up to the plate in this major and to show that when push comes to shove they have what it takes. I wish I could say I am confident of one of them doing exactly this but I'm afraid I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping. Know what I mean?

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