There is a stronger look about the Europe Ryder Cup team this morning than there was seven days ago. Sergio García's joint second place in the USPGA Championship at Oakland Hills has lifted him into the team and almost certainly spared Nick Faldo, the Europe captain, the requirement of using one of his two selections on the Spaniard.

Justin Rose, the winner of the 2007 Order of Merit and back up to No12 in the world, climbed a couple of places after finishing joint ninth on Sunday night. The reward for Paul Casey, whose last two rounds at Oakland Hills contained only three bogeys, is that he is believed to have been given a coded message from Faldo that he will receive one of the captain's two selections.

Yet the intriguing aspect of all this is how much it could still change between now and Sunday, August 31, when the team will be completed. Rose is at home in Orlando, Florida, wondering whether or not he needs to fly to Europe to compete in either the KLM Open in Zandvoort, the Netherlands, the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, or both, to protect his position in the team. Martin Kaymer, the German, who has slipped out of the team as it stands, will attempt to improve his position, and Oliver Wilson, who is ninth on and Soren Hansen, tenth, will have Rose in their sights. Wilson is 58,000 points behind Rose; Hansen 61,000.

“It is proving what I have said. That it is going to come to every week from now on,” Faldo said. “Guys are going to have to be thinking about playing every week and I assume they all will. It is a bun fight and it will go down to the wire on Sunday night in Scotland.”

The eight automatic selections for the United States team are: Phil Mickelson, Stewart Cink, Kenny Perry, Jim Furyk, Anthony Kim, Justin Leonard, Ben Curtis and Boo Weekley. Kim, Curtis and Weekley will be making their debuts. Paul Azinger, the US captain, will announce his four wild-card picks on September 2.