Pablo Larrazábal believes Luke Donald and his Vice Captains know he is just one win away from securing a maiden Ryder Cup outing at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club later this year.
The Spaniard shot into contention for a shock appearance in the biennial contest after two wins in three events earlier this season, capturing the Korean Open in April before backing it up with victory in the KLM Open just four weeks later
The 40-year-old rose to as high as tenth on the European Qualification list after those triumphs, which bagged him a pairing with Donald at the recent BMW International Open.
But three missed cuts in his last four events since his win in the Netherlands has seen him drop down to 16th in the race to appear in golf’s greatest contest.
Has the pressure got to the nine-time DP World Tour winner?
“I’ve missed three cuts the last four tournaments so is that pressure? Being on the radar of the Ryder Cup brings pressure,” Larrazábal told Bunkered.
“That’s why the best result in the last four tournaments has been a tie for 53rd!
“That Ryder Cup word you’re saying is not in my mind anymore. I forgot about it!
“I know the Vice-Captains, the Captain, everyone wants to play with me. That’s probably why I’m playing so bad nowadays.
“It would be awesome but it would be a result of doing very good things everyday. My main goal will be to keep performing and winning golf tournaments and then the Ryder Cup will come.
“That’s why Luke Donald wants to play with me,” Larrazabal added, discussing his recent purple patch. “I’ve been paired with the vice-captains the last few weeks and they know I’m one win away from being in the team.”
Larrazábal has the opportunity to gain progress on the Ryder Cup standings this week at The 151st Open Championship.
But he will have to build on his miserable record at the final Major Championship of the year, having failed to make the cut since 2014.
“This will be my ninth Open and I always enjoy it,” he said. “These are the best crowds in the world.
“This golf course suited my eye the first time I stepped here nine years ago and lets see if I get lucky, because an Open championship you need luck the first two rounds with the weather. But I love the challenge.”
