Scots must earn Ryder Cup places on merit

This is Scotland’s year in the spotlight and the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles promises to be the biggest event of all.

It’s still nearly nine months away, but already the excitement is building.

American skipper Tom Watson is certain to bring over 12 fabulous players, but luckily the European team could be our strongest ever.

Captain Paul McGinley would probably be a happy man if the qualification process ended today. So many of his big guns occupy one of the nine automatic spots or are just outside it.

Victories at the end of 2013 for Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia will have pleased McGinley no end. He does have three wild cards but they’re an insurance policy. He’ll want the majority of his star men to play their way into the team.

Seeing Ian Poulter currently at the top of the qualification list will delight Paul. Virtually all of the heroes from Medinah two years ago should be involved, and you can probably add Henrik Stenson and Thomas Bjorn to that list.

Those two Scandinavians have only lost once between them in four appearances, so they would bring further quality.

My only concern, though, is the form of Lee Westwood. He’s currently languishing in 29th place in both the European money list and the World ranking route. The rest have room for manoeuvre, but Lee needs a good start to the year. He’s not flying over for any of the Gulf events later this month, as he concentrates his efforts on the United States.

If he starts badly, he would have to add more American events and that would put him under real pressure on the PGA Tour and on his Ryder Cup hopes. As a veteran of eight matches, Lee’s experience would again be invaluable in the team room.

We’d all love to see a Scot playing at Gleneagles, and Paul McGinley shares that view. He was a very proud Irishman when he made the team at the K Club in 2006, and he knows what that means for the home support.

But it won’t be a goodwill gesture. Players like my nephew Stephen, Paul Lawrie and others will have to play great golf to do it. That means winning at least one tournament early to build momentum.

I prided myself on consistency to make the team with a succession of steady finishes but that doesn’t do it any more. You’ll probably need at least 2 million Euros to qualify and the big winners’ cheques are essential.

But McGinley wants a team of winners to beat a fearsome American team.

It’ll probably be the last Ryder Cup in the UK for some time, but it’s shaping up to be one of the best ever.