Darren Clarke has headed to the US in an attempt to launch a last-minute assault on the European Ryder Cup rankings.
The Ulsterman has just two tournaments in which to convince captain Nick Faldo he is worthy of a place in the side – this week''s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Ohio and the US PGA Championship, which begins on August 7th.
A winner at Akron''s Firestone Country Club in 2003, when the tournament was known as the WGC-NEC Invitational, Clarke knows that victory at the event followed by a good performance in the final Major of the year at Oakland Hills could keep his Ryder Cup dream alive.
Speaking about Clarke and Paul McGinley''s chances of making the side, Wilson golfer Padraig Harrington told the Irish Sun this week: "Darren and Paul know they have to show a serious burst of form and play themselves right up to the edge of the team."
Despite winning the BMW Asian Open in April, Clarke''s season has been marred by inconsistency and he recently dropped to number 105 in the world rankings.
The PGA Championship, for which he received an invitation, will be the 39-year-old''s first Major of the year – he was not invited to the Masters, opted out of qualifying for the US Open and failed to qualify for this month''s Open at Royal Birkdale.
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