Nick Faldo, the European Ryder Cup captain, has warned his players they cannot afford to ease up even if they think they are already assured of a place in his team.

Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Graeme McDowell, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Robert Karlsson all look set to feature against the United States at Valhalla in Kentucky in September after some fine performances on the European Tour, but seven places still appear to be up for grabs - two of which are captain's picks.

With two majors and one World Golf Championship event still to play before the selection cut-off date of August 31, Faldo stressed no one should be resting on their laurels. "We all know in golf as soon as you start counting your chickens you get a swift kick up the backside so there will be no complacency," he said. "The team is shaping up, we are already above expectations in terms of qualifying and they will all be playing hard for the next six weeks. My picks may not be decided until right up to the close of play as guys who are winning are a very important part of the Ryder Cup."

As Tiger Woods, the world No 1, is out for the rest of the season after knee surgery, Faldo believes there is no better time for one of his Ryder Cup hopefuls to step up in the big events, starting at this week's Open. "The next bunch of guys must start looking round and when Tiger is off they have to say who is going to make the most of the opportunity?" Faldo said. "The best ability a player can have is when he can make it happen and I think they have a great opportunity for the next three majors."

Faldo also said he expected Garcia to overcome his disappointment of losing a play-off to Padraig Harrington at last year's Open at Carnoustie and could be the one to watch at Birkdale. "I think Sergio will be inspired by his good friend Rafael Nadal," Faldo said. "He just missed out on beating Roger Federer [in the Wimbledon final] last year and we know Sergio missed out last year."

But Faldo was also looking forward to catching up with some other contenders for his team this week. "I thought this would be a great opportunity to check out some of the guys, have a chat with some of my 'guaranteeds' and have a chat with some others, like Ross Fisher who I have never met," he said.