My biggest goal since the start of the year was to make the Ryder Cup team – and that hasn’t changed. It’s still my main aim for the next 10 months and hopefully I can give myself a chance of making the European team for next September’s showdown.
If I’m in with a chance to qualify, I feel now that I’m in the best position I’ve ever been in to go and take it.
However, I honestly believe I’ll need to have a Ryder Cup place in my own hands come September 2020.
Even though Padraig Harrington is the captain of the European side, I’m not expecting any favours. Padraig is a good friend and I’ve learned a lot from him over the years, but I think I’ll struggle to get a captain’s pick. I really do.
Despite being the Open Champion – I’m still a Ryder Cup rookie.
And that could count against me if I’m not in the automatic nine places on offer heading to America next year.
It’s a bit like when your da is the manager of the local football team – it’s nearly harder for you to get on it!
You must play better than anyone else, so no-one can accuse you of not being there on merit.
Padraig wouldn’t take too kindly to me referring to him as my Dad or anything – but I know I’m going to have to make the team off my own steam and not rely on a captain’s pick. That’s always been my plan anyway and that’s what I’ll be trying to do from Thursday at Wentworth.
And it’s something I love about golf. Success or failure is nearly always down to what you do personally, as it’s such an individual game. I know that if I play good golf, it should all take care of itself.
I just have to try and focus on doing that each day, in each tournament, for the next few months and keep the consistency that’s been in my game for the past nine months and see what happens then.
As long as I put in decent performances until November and next season, it should make the points race to the Ryder Cup 2020 that little bit more manageable.
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