Dougherty: dreaming of Valhalla

I think the rookies may have to play their way in because as things stand, Nick Faldo is likely to use his wildcards to bring experience to the team.

Mark Roe
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As a tournament professional, this is one of the most exciting run-ups to a Ryder Cup that I can remember.

There are still so many permutations as to who can make the European team. Seven players have effectively secured their places, but with three spots still up for grabs anything can happen.

Looking at the table, there is no more than €220,000 between Justin Rose in seventh and Nick Dougherty in 13th. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to work out that anybody who produces some good performances over the next two weeks is going to move up into those automatic places.

The people who should be really nervous are Oliver Wilson and Soren Hansen, who currently occupy the final two automatic spots. Hansen is only €272 ahead of Martin Kaymer, so he's really hanging on by the skin of his teeth.

I think the rookies may have to play their way in because as things stand, Nick Faldo is likely to use his wildcards to bring experience to the team. That means the pressure is really on some of these guys.

Seven of the eight players who can realistically still grab one of those three remaining automatic spots are in action in the KLM Open, live on Sky Sports this week, so let's take a closer look at their credentials.

Justin Rose

Justin accumulated a massive amount of points at the back end of last year winning the Volvo Masters and in his run-up to winning the Order of Merit in just 12 events.

He had a huge head start, but suffered during the season with his niggling back problems and hasn't reached those dizzy heights again.

But in all honesty, he deserves a Ryder Cup place for the way he's played over the calendar year and I take my hat off to him for coming over and playing in Holland prior to the last tournament in Gleneagles. He's realised he hasn't secured his place so he wants to make sure by playing in the KLM Open.

He's changed his schedule and that's a top-class effort. Compare that to Paul Casey, who missed four huge events with huge prize funds after the US Open because he was determined to stick to his schedule.

I believe that if you're desperate to play in the Ryder Cup and if you haven't got off to the start you want, then you should adapt your schedule accordingly.

Oliver Wilson

Oliver Wilson is one of the most improved players on the European Tour over the last 12 months.

I've been hugely impressed with the strides he's made in changing his swing and he's been working incredibly hard with Peter Cowen with good results.

For me he's incredibly under-rated. He's had four second-place finishes this year and has played very well without quite getting into the winner's circle. I'm sure when he gets that first win he'll go on to get two or three because he's a quality player.

While some people don't fancy him as a Ryder Cup player, I think he would acquit himself admirably if he made it to Valhalla.

Soren Hansen

With one of the best swings I've ever seen, Soren Hansen is an incredibly gifted golfer.

I love the way he plays golf, but I felt he was an underachiever until he won the Mercedes Benz Championship in 2007 - and he also looked good at this year's French Open, when he finished third.

He's a great player and I'd have no qualms about seeing him on the first tee at Valhalla because I know he'd produce the goods.

If anything, his slight Achilles heel is his putting and that's his main area of weakness.

Martin Kaymer

Martin has had an awful lot of upset in his life recently following the death of his mother around the time of the Open Championship.

He was in some really hot form off the back of winning the BMW International, but he missed two massive tournaments in the French Open and the European Open following his sad loss.

However, I do expect to see Kaymer play his way in over the next two weeks at the expense of either Wilson or Hansen.

If he doesn't make it then there's a chance that Nick Faldo might look at him as a potential wildcard pick. He's won two big events this year at Abu Dhabi and the BMW International which shows he's got what it takes to be a winner.

I was also hugely impressed by the way he chased down Tiger Woods in Dubai before finishing second and I'm sure Nick has noted that.

However, if by some unimaginable chance the team does stay as it is now with four rookies then I can't see Nick choosing a fifth. In that instance, Kaymer might be unfortunately overlooked in favour of somebody like Ian Poulter or Casey who both have Ryder Cup experience.

After winning twice this year he'd be devastated not to get picked, so I hope he plays his way in.

Ross Fisher

I know Ross very well and started working with him on his short game in March, changing the way he played his bunker shots and the way he plays his chips.

He's been very successful and I'm a big fan of him both on and off the course. I like his demeanour, I like the way he handles the media and he's a genuinely nice young man.

It's nice to see people with such a humble attitude doing well in the world of golf and believe me, he is capable of much more than people believe he is.

He totally dominated the European Open where he pulled away from a world-class field that included the likes of Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington.

This guy is the real deal and as the defending champion in Holland, I can still see him playing his way into the team.

If he doesn't make it then I'm sure he'll be a Ryder Cup player in the future.

Nick Dougherty

Like Kaymer, Nick Dougherty also suffered the sad loss of his mother this year and he produced a very brave performance when he came back at the Italian Open.

And last week I think we saw signs of him coming back to his best on a tough golf course at the SAS Masters.

He was leading after shooting 66 twice and he'll be disappointed to have hit level par in the final two rounds - but he picked up a big chunk of points and that performance has brought him right back into contention.

It's quite feasible he could put in another couple of good performances and sneak into Nick's team.

He has a great relationship with Faldo who nurtured him through his early years on tour. Had he won last weekend then it might have given Faldo the opportunity to justify him as a wildcard.

Faldo has made it clear he wants players who are running into form and after a second-place finish in Sweden, Dougherty is certainly doing that.

Soren Kjeldsen

Soren Kjeldsen is another great player with a lovely little compact swing and he knows how to win tournaments - as he has shown at Gleneagles in the past.

He's still not out of the race and after a seventh-placed finish in Scandinavia last week he picked up a good few points to keep him in the hunt.

He had a chance to win that tournament after birdies on the first two holes of the final round, but he didn't take his chance and dropped three shots in the next nine.

I think the realisation might have dawned on him that a win would do so much for his Ryder Cup chances and that might have affected the way he played.

He didn't exactly stumble home, but he failed to put any pressure on Peter Hanson in the end. He's got a lot of work to do if he wants to make the team.