Golf:Sergio Garcia has dropped to 50th in the latest world rankings and is planning a two-month break from the game which would rule him out of Ryder Cup reckoning unless he bucks the trend and returns to form at this week's USPGA Championship at Whistling Straits.
Garcia was second in the rankings only 16 months ago but has had a nightmare time since and finds himself only 19th on the European Ryder Cup standings and without a win in over two years.
The 30-year-old has been an ever-present in the biennial team match since becoming the youngest player, aged 19, on his debut at Brookline in 1999. However with competition for the three wild card picks hotter than ever before the Spaniard needs to show captain Colin Montgomerie genuine form at Whistling Straits.
So down in the dumps about his game that he’s planning a two-month break after this week - and only making the Ryder Cup team would change that.
“It’s been a long year,” said Garcia. “I haven’t had a nice, long break my whole career.”
On whether he has told captain Montgomerie his thoughts he added: “I’ve talked to him - he knows what I’m planning to do.
“I need the break. I need to miss the game a little bit.”
Pádraig Harrington edged closer to an automatic spot after he and Rory McIlroy finished tied ninth at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron. The Dubliner is just 13,246 behind Miguel Angel Jimenez on the European points list. The Spaniard currently holds the last automatic place on the combined listings.
With regards world rankings Phil Mickelson swiftly turned his attentions to Whistling Straits after squandering an opportunity to replace Tiger Woods as world number one.
The American left-hander could have moved to the top of the rankings by finishing the alone in fourth place or better at Akron but he slumped into a tie for 46th after starting the final day tied for 10th.
"I wanted to have a good weekend and get a little bit of momentum going into the PGA," said second-ranked Mickelson after carding a dismal eight-over-par 78 at Firestone Country Club.
"So I'll have to kind of do what I did at Augusta, with Houston the week before. I played like this in Houston and I'm going to have to try to get it turned around here in three days."
Mickelson tied for 35th at the Houston Open in April before clinching his fourth major title in the US Masters at Augusta National the following week.
The year's final major, which he won at Baltusrol in 2005, starts on Thursday. There are five Irish players in the field; Harrington, McIlroy, US Open champion Graeme McDowell, Shane Lowry and Darren Clarke, who received a late invite.
Mickelson will have to bury all the memories of his stumbling finish at Firestone before teeing it up at Whistling Straits.
Asked how frustrated he was after wasting another chance to depose Woods as world number one, Mickelson replied: "If I keep finishing ahead of him every week, eventually it'll happen.
"But the problem is there are guys behind me (in the rankings) who will pass me because I'm not playing well enough right now. I've got some work to do to get my own game sharp."
Woods, a seven-time winner, produced his worst finish on the US circuit after closing with a 77.
The world number one, who ended his round almost three hours before the overnight leaders teed off, produced his highest final score as a professional to share 78th place in the 80-player field.
At one of his favourite venues, he carded two double-bogeys in the last five holes to post an 18-over total of 298, 30 strokes behind Mahan.
It was his highest 72-hole aggregate on the PGA Tour, his worst relative to par and the first time since the 2003 PGA Championship he had strung together four rounds over par.
"(I'm) just not playing well," a grim-faced Woods said after totalling 33 putts. "The only thing I can say all week is I was patient, and unfortunately that's not enough."
American Hunter Mahan closed with a final round 64 to win by two strokes (268) from Ryan Palmer at Firestone and climbed to a career-high 12th in the world.
Latest leading positions in the world golf rankings:
1 Tiger Woods 9.63pts, 2 Phil Mickelson 9.19, 3 Lee Westwood 8.99, 4 Steve Stricker 7.51, 5 Jim Furyk 6.83, 6 Ernie Els 5.71, 7 Luke Donald 5.49, 8 Rory McIlroy 5.46, 9 Paul Casey 5.46, 10 Ian Poulter 5.23. 11 Graeme McDowell 4.94, 12 Hunter Mahan 4.94, 13 Martin Kaymer 4.86, 14 Anthony Kim 4.80, 15 Retief Goosen 4.45, 16 Pádraig Harrington 4.30, 17 Robert Allenby 4.25, 18 Louis Oosthuizen 4.23, 19 Sean O'Hair 4.13, 20 Justin Rose 3.99.