Molinari secures Ryder Cup spot

Johnnie Walker Championship
Venue: Gleneagles, Scottish Highlands Dates: 26-29 August
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Molinari will be exhibiting his Italian flair at Celtic Manor in October

Italian Francesco Molinari has clinched a place in Europe's Ryder Cup team after an injury forced Ross McGowan to quit the Johnnie Walker Championship.

England's McGowan, 28, needed a top-two finish to have a chance of an automatic spot in Colin Montgomerie's line-up.

Molinari, 27, will join Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell and Ross Fisher at Celtic Manor in October.

Two automatic spots and three wild cards are still up for grabs.

Molinari, who currently lies seventh in the Ryder Cup rankings, cannot now be overhauled in the race to gain the nine automatic qualifying places.

The 27-year-old will become the first Italian to play in the Ryder Cup since Costantino Rocca in 1995.

McGowan, who came to Gleneagles lying 12th in the table, had been troubled by a trapped nerve in his shoulder, and after an opening round of 77 that included eight bogeys, he decided to withdraw from the tournament.

"I'm pretty gutted, as I'm not one who likes to pull out of events, but we've pretty much tried everything other than injections," McGowan said afterwards.

"I had a great opportunity to make the [European] team this year after having such a good finish at the end of last year.

"So it's disappointing as far as the Ryder Cup is concerned, but I have to look at the bigger picture as there are still a lot of golf tournaments to be played this year.

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"Hopefully, there will be other opportunities to play in the Ryder Cup."

Of the other contenders at Gleneagles battling it out for an automatic place in Colin Montgomerie's team to face the USA, Simon Dyson was making a good fist of it with an opening round 68.

The Englishman needs to win the tournament to stand any chance of making the team, but two dropped shots in the last three holes cost him a share of the lead going into round two.

Czech Open winner Peter Hanson, currently in eight place in the Ryder Cup table, shot an opening 69, while Miguel Angel Jimenez, who occupies the final berth, was sitting comfortably in the middle of the pack after a 70.

But it was not such good news for Jimenez's fellow Spaniard Alvaro Quiroz, who needs to win the Johnnie Walker to secure an automatic spot. His opening round 72 means he is six shots adrift of leader Richard Finch.

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