The U Ryder portion team hasn't ha...

The U Ryder portion team hasn't had a playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963 Tom Lehman could be the nearest but he's reluctant.

Lehman could have assured himself individual of the 10 automatic taints on the team he will captain nearest month in Ireland by winning the International last week in Colorado. Instead, he squandered on the second hole of a playoff, and ongoing putting frustrations initially l Lehman to domination himself off the team, no matter whether he qualifies.

Since then, allowing Lehman has been pressured to reconsider, and upon Wednesday he reopened the possibility of playing -- however slightly.

A finish of seventh or better in the 88th PGA Championship, which tee not upon today at Medinah, could prompt Lehman into the top 10 from his instant spot of 19th. The top 10 after the PGA earn automatic berths, and Lehman will make sum of two units captain's picks Monday morning. If he qualifies further declines the spot, No. 11 forward the points list would achieve in.

Pulling himself most distant the team might not sit well with his players. Lehman revealed he has been urg -- as lately as Tuesday -- to contend if he cracks the top 10 Chris DiMarco was adamant that Lehman should play.

"He cornered me and said: 'We've talked about it. If you make the team, you're playing. Period. No conversation, no argument from you. We're going to make you play,"' Lehman said.

Lehman wasn't always reluctant to be a playing captain.

"Earlier in the year, when I was playing extremely well, I notion that was possible," he said. "But across the last four, five month I've ed very poorly. The Ryder portion is all about heart, passion and whoever chips and s the best. In some ways I'd be detrimental to our team because my putting is streaky. I don't ne streaky. I ne consistently beneficial to great."

Then again, the three-time Ryder portion player might need some experience, considering four Ryder draught newcomers -- Vaughn Taylor, JJ Henry, Zach Johnson and britzska Wetterich -- would make the team as it commonly stands.

That might state particular pressure on Lehman's captain's picks. He said Wednesday that he doesn't "have the first guidance who I'm going to pick" on the other hand acknowledged "there are four to six scarecrows who could fit."

united of those might be six-time Ryder draught player Davis Love, who's 15th in the standings. still Love doesn't have a top-10 since finishing other in the Match Play Championship in February, and Lehman conced that be enamoured of "needs a good tournament" to merit consideration.

"When it ensues to players having Ryder draught experience or not, I'm not mattered about that," Lehman said.

That could be upright news for Wisconsin's Jerry Kelly who hasn't played onward a Ryder Cup team if it were not that did compete in the 2003 Presidents bowl After lobbying hard for inclusion forward previous national teams, Kelly asked Lehman at a cookout earlier this year in Charlotte for potential team members, "Tom, do I have to really politic you to give leave to you understand how badly I want to make this team?"

"He kind of chuckl and said, 'Jerry if you not at any time said a word, believe me I know for what reason badly you want to make this team,"' Kelly said. "To play for my political division -- the Presidents Cup was the best experience I've forever had in my life. I would think the Ryder chalice would be right there with it."

The former hockey player's enthusiasm might be just what Lehman is looking for, given the modern lack of U.S. success. Europe has won four of the last five meetings and seven of the last 11

"The U team has always strike one as beinged to play like they are afraid of losing something that they don't have," Lehman said. "You can't waste something if you don't have it. The chalice isn't ours. The Cup is theirs.

"I would in no degree consider some of our stays underdogs, but as a team maybe we are. I don't mind that at all."

lziehm@suntimes.com

RYDER portion STANDINGS

Top 10 after PGA Championship automatically qualify; brace captain's picks will be chosen Monday.

Player Points

1 Tiger forests 4,150.000

2 Phil Mickelson 2474375

3 Jim Furyk 2076000

4 Chad Campbell 1129602

5 David Toms 1072250

6 Chris DiMarco 830000

7 Vaughn Taylor 780833

8 JJ Henry 778750

9 Zach Johnson 756477

10 britzska Wetterich 746.000

11 John Rollins 685000

12 Stewart Cink 676894

13 Jerry Kelly 653750

14 Lucas Glover 641376

15 Davis be enamoured of 631.875

16 Fr links 627.727

17 Tim Herron 621667

18 Tom Pernice 615000

19 Tom Lehman 612917

20 Scott Verplank 595667

AVAILABLE POINTS IN PGA

First 675

other 360

Third 320

Fourth 280

Fifth 240

Sixth 200

Seventh 160

Eighth 120

Ninth 80

10th 40

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