Golf International OpenEurope's Ryder Cup campaign has turned this week's BMW International Open in Munich into a tournament within a tournament, with at least 12 players sweating it out for a place in Bernhard Langer's team to take on the US next month.
Six players have already booked their berths for the match at Oakland Hills, and this weekend's Munich event is the last one to count before Langer's full line-up of 12 is decided on Sunday night.
Four players will automatically qualify via the European points table before Langer completes with two wildcard picks.
Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke, Sergio Garcia and Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain, Britain's Lee Westwood, and Thomas Levet of France have all booked their places through the Ryder Cup world points standings or via the European points table.
Levet, sixth in the European points standings going into this week's event, cannot be overtaken.
However, Paul McGinley (ninth), Britons Paul Casey (sixth in the European points table), David Howell (seventh) and Ian Poulter (eighth) could be under threat this week, with their closest challengers all playing in Munich.
"It's sweaty palms time," said McGinley, who holed the winning putt for Europe in the 2002 Ryder Cup at the Belfry. "The pressure is on everyone this week. It will be as intense as what I felt when I stood over the deciding putt at the Belfry."
McGinley lies 45,392 points ahead of 10th-placed Jean-Francois Remesy, who is bidding to become the second Frenchman in Langer's team.
Remesy, in turn, is only 16,114 points ahead of Sweden's Joakim Haeggman while another Swede, Fredrik Jacobson, Britain's Brian Davis, Ireland's Graeme McDowell and Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin are also in the hunt for late Ryder Cup spots.
After overcoming a wrist injury on his way to a tie for 17th at the US PGA Championship two weeks ago, Remesy is refusing to pressurise himself this week by thinking only of a Ryder Cup debut.
"I watched players like Jerry Kelly during the PGA, putting so much pressure on themselves (that) they lost their chance," said Remesy.
"Before I won the French Open this year, I didn't even dream about a Ryder Cup place.
"I'll be trying 100 per cent to win the BMW International and that will be it.
"But if I don't get in then, if I finish 11th in the table, there still might be a chance of getting a wildcard. It all depends on whether Bernhard is looking for experience, current form, or whatever."
Britons Luke Donald and Colin Montgomerie are being widely tipped as Langer's likely captain's picks, however.
Montgomerie, 18th in the European points standings, cannot qualify automatically and might need a good week to persuade Langer that he should be selected for the European team.
The 41-year-old Scot will team up again this week with his former caddie Alastair McLean, who worked with him for all his seven successive European order of merit titles and at four Ryder Cups.
"Having Alastair back on the bag gives me confidence," said Montgomerie, a talismanic figure for Europe at the Belfry in 2002. "He was with me when I last won here in 1999. If I get in (the Ryder Cup team), he will be a bonus for the whole team."
Donald, who plays most of his golf on the US PGA Tour, also needs a good week in Munich.
"I must have caught Bernhard's eye when I won the Scandinavian Masters and he's seen me play well in the States, so I'm obviously still in his eye," said the Englishman.
"But there are plenty of others in line for a pick, so I don't want to count any chickens before they're hatched."
Langer's countryman Alex Cejka is another in the shake-up for a wildcard pick this week at GolfClub München Nord Eichenried, where 2000 European number one Westwood defends his title.
American John Daly, who was overlooked as a wildcard pick last week by US captain Hal Sutton, is also in the Munich field.
RyderCupLists
World Points: Final list
(top five qualified on Sunday night)
1 Padraig Harrington 234.94pts
2 S Garcia 225.56
3 Darren Clarke 191.80
4 M A Jimenez 174.24
5 L Westwood 153.60
6 F Jacobson 138.66
7 T Levet 136.60
8 P Casey 124.30
9 L Donald 116.09
10 I Poulter 110.80
11 Paul McGinley 109.05
12 J Haeggman 106.95
13 D Howell 105.57
14 B Davis 97.72
15 T Bjorn 89.32
16 R Jacquelin 86.53
17 A Cejka 84.30
18 J Rose 83.34
19 C Montgomerie 77.62
20 J F Remesy 73.36
Order of Merit list
(* denotes players in qualifying places)
1 L Westwood 1,661,323pts
2 M A Jimenez 1,595,225
3 Darren Clarke 1,525,620
4 T Levet 1,352,371
5 Padraig Harrington 1,339,938
6 *P Casey 1,209,912
7 *D Howell 1,133,882
8 *I Poulter 1,118,004
9 *Paul McGInley 1,101,912
10 J-F Remesy 1,056,520
11 J Haeggman 1,040,406
12 F Jacobson 1,037,846
13 B Davis 1,019,580
14 R Jacquelin 933,420
15 Graeme McDowell 847,407
16 B Lane 786,144
17 D Lynn 725,918
18 C Montgomerie 706,072
19 M Lafeber 704,621
20 S Drummond 698,698
