BMW International Open: Ryder Cup qualifying does not start until next week but Ian Poulter was polishing his form in yesterday's BMW International first round at Nord-Eichenreid.
The man, who spectacularly secured a cup debut in the US by covering the last eight holes in the German Open a year ago in six under par, opened up with a six-under 66 this time.
It put him within a stroke of the leaders and the game's flashiest dresser admitted he has set his heart on donning a Ryder Cup blazer again next year at Ireland's K Club.
"I tried to put what happened here last time out of my mind because, although I made six birdies, they came after a shocker of an eight at the 10th; I just focused on getting into position to win on Sunday," he explained.
"I'm confident getting into the team won't come down to the last week of qualifying. I was 47th in the world rankings starting today and I need to be in the top 50 to get into the HSBC Champions Tournament in Shanghai in November.
"It's crucial because it's a $5m event and it can give you a jump start. My aim is to play well here and take that form into next week's first qualifier in Switzerland and on into the rest of the big tournaments this year."
Oddly, Poulter, who made seven birdies yesterday but is without a win since last year's Volvo Masters, was unaware that for the first time next month's World Matchplay classic at Wentworth will count towards the Ryder Cup.
The 16 matchplay starters on September 15th-18th earn their places via performances in the majors, World Golf Championships and the World Ranking and Order of Merit points tables.
Only a "capped" portion of the £1m winner's cheque (£406,000) will count for Cup points but Poulter still insists: "My opinion is it's pathetic to include an event with such a limited field in the qualifying process."
Poulter (29), who marked his cup bow at Oakland Hills with a singles success against Chris Riley, needs to overhaul Paul McGinley and David Howell, who are fifth and sixth in the European Merit Table, to have any chance of getting among the Wentworth starters.
Howell, though, is among eight others who scored 66 yesterday and McGinley was close behind on 68.
The Australian Brett Rumford, the Dutchman Robert-Jan Derksen and Argentina's Angel Cabrera lead on 65. Others one shot back include the Dane Thomas Bjorn, runner-up to Phil Mickelson in the US PGA Championship, while another cup man, Luke Donald, waltzed round in 67.
Donald picked up six birdies and an eagle after a shaky start, covering the last six holes in five under to be home in 32.
He said: "The secret here is to stay patient and make sure you hit the fairways; there are bags of birdies to pick up on this course."
McGinley underlined the point with four birdies in his first five holes before "slipping" with a level-par second nine.
Caddying was his good friend Eddie Jordan, the former Formula One team owner. Jordan, in whose golf bag someone had playfully placed a dozen cans of drink before the off, declared: "We started out as if we were on a qualifying lap but got a puncture near the end."
A flight back home to clear "garbage" out of his mind produced stunning results for Rumford.
Rumford, twice a European Tour winner, had been dismayed by a dip in fortunes that saw him fail to earn anything in two months as he missed three successive cuts, failed to qualify for the British Open and had to withdraw from the Johnnie Walker Championship two weeks ago.
His cure for ill form was a visit to his sports psychologist and some home cooking. "I had some good R and R back home after withdrawing in Scotland," said the 28-year-old. "My time at home has cleared a lot of the garbage around my head - an accumulation of things, mental, course-management, swing, a multitude of things that you can put bad form down to. I worked on the game and came back refreshed with a clear mind and today's round is a result."
