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Captain's choice BMW last chance for Europe's Ryder Cup hopefuls
MUNICH, Germany (AP) -- Sergio Garcia was confirmed Wednesday as a Ryder Cup wild card pick by European captain Sam Torrance for next month's match against the Americans "even if he shoots 95-95 this week." But Torrance said his other pick still hangs on what happens at the BMW International at Nord-Eichenried in Munich starting Thursday. Absent Swede Jesper Parnevik, seen as having the inside track on the second selection, could still come under threat from several players. Torrance will announce his two captain's choices for the 12-man team Sunday after the tournament finally establishes the top 10 who get places automatically for the Sept. 28-30 contest at The Belfry. He said he was a delighted that Garcia, 19th on the list, had come to try to qualify. "I promised Sergio he was in quite a while ago, yet he has still come to try to make the team automatically because he knows that by making it he would be helping the team," Torrance said. That is because it would free up another wild card pick for Torrance. "That's quite a gesture from one so young -- the boy who plays like a man," Torrance added. "Even if he shoots 95-95, he's in." "He's No. 7 in the world. Just let him loose. Just point him and go." The 21-year-old Spaniard has based himself this year on the U.S. Tour, where has won twice. "I just want to make the team, to play my way onto the team. There is no pressure on me," was all Garcia would say Wednesday. "All the players down to 23rd have a chance to make the team," Torrance said. "That's a testament to the strength of our Tour." But for many of them, winning here may be their only chance because it would give them 300,000 Ryder Cup points and get them into the top-10 in the standings. Already three rookies, Swedes Pierre Fulke and Niclas Fasth and Paul McGinley of Ireland are virtually assured of places with another, Philip Price of Wales, occupying 10th place in the table. It is Price who might be under most pressure. "All I can do now is try to play good golf and not watch what the others do," the 34-year-old Welshman said. "This feels different from other tournaments. Just the amount of focus on it has made me focus on it. But I'll be glad when it's over." Price feels he must qualify by right and has no chance of being a wild card pick as Torrance wants, if possible, to add experience to his team. Jose Maria Olazabal and Ian Woosnam are two who Torrance is looking at to perform well this week. Olazabal is currently 18th and Woosnam 16th on the list. "If Olly finished second and jumped to 11th place, or any established Ryder Cup player with bottle did well -- that would definitely put the cat among the pigeons," Torrance said. "Anybody who sees what he has to do this week and does it would be welcome on the team." The current top 10 in the list are: Darren Clarke, Thomas Bjorn, Padraig Harrington, Colin Montgomerie, Fulke, Lee Westwood, Fasth, McGinley, Bernhard Langer and Price. The next five spots are filled by Ian Poulter, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Andrew Oldcorn, Andrew Coltart and Mathias Gronberg. All of those except Clarke and Westwood, who has injured a wrist, are playing here. Parnevik is not, but then he could not make the top-10 even if he won as he is 31st on the list. Although the tournament within a tournament is commanding most attention, there will be inevitable interest in visiting American John Daly. But while he can understand the furor surrounding team qualification, Daly has no wish to play in the event itself. "I couldn't care less about playing in a competition where you're going to get booed," Daly said. "This game was not invented to boo anybody. Booing is for soccer or football. We don't want it in golf." Besides, he added, "I've got a great history going. I'm the only guy to win two majors never to play in the Ryder Cup. Daly won the 1991 U.S. PGA and the 1995 British Open. "It's never been an ambition of mine. It was a problem for me in 1991 when I won the [U.S.] PGA. That was the first year the PGA winner did not get a place on the team. "It's got to the point where we might as well put on boxing gloves and beat the heck out of each other instead of going out and playing the game. It just doesn't have to be that way," he said. That comment was rejected by Colin Montgomerie. "That's just John Daly-speak and it's not what we're about," he said.
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