Dyson Ryder Cup charge continues at Gleneagles, as Finch takes early lead

Richard Finch set the early pace at Gleneagles as the Johnnie Walker Championship got underway Thursday. The event, which marks the final qualifying for Colin Montgomerie’s Ryder Cup team features six players hopeful of making the final 12 for The Celtic Manor.

But it was Englishman Finch who stole the headlines overnight with an opening 65 to give him a one shot lead over a quartet of fellow Englishmen – Robert Rock, Richard Bland, Gary Boyd and David Lynn, and also home favourite and tipster pick Stephen Gallacher.

Finch produced a bogey-free round despite the occasional mis-placed shot, and afterwards was delighted with his round.

“I took the slightly scenic route at times, and I’m delighted with the result. Six under par anywhere is a great score, and on the first day, so that was good.

“But it was just from the word go, I think I was one under par after five holes, and I one putted every hole to get to that point and thought I was going to be in for a long, difficult day, which I managed to just make the best of it and score well.

Simon Dyson did best of those chasing entry to Colin Montgomerie’s Ryder Cup squad with a 4-under par first round of 68, although the Englishman had at one point been as low as 6-under par as his late charge for a debut appearance in the bi-annual event gathered apace. Dyson needs to win the tournament and hope Miguel Angel Jiminez finishes outside the top 10 to make the automatic qualifying berths. Jiminez, playing here instead of attending his nephew’s wedding, shot an opening 70 which sees the mercurial Spaniard outside the top 25 places after the first round.

Of the other Ryder Cup hopefuls, wild-card chasing Italian Edoardo Molinari shot a round of 70 to tie with Jiminez, while big-hitting Alvaro Quiros shot a level par 72. Sweden’s Peter Hanson – who has all but qualified for the team – opened with a 69.

There was some joy for the Molinari camp, however, when Francesco Molinari secured his berth in the squad for The Celtic Manor after Englishman Ross McGowan was forced to withdraw from the tournament through injury. McGowan could have qualified with a win or 2nd place finish.

Monty ups ante for Ryder Cup hopefuls

Colin Montgomerie has upped the ante for Ryder Cup hopefuls looking to make the team for the 2010 Ryder Cup match against the United States.

Montgomerie revealed players will be asked to compete in three specific events – the PGA Championship at Wentworth, the Wales Open at Celtic Manor and the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.

The Johnnie Walker Championship is the final points-counting event before the Ryder Cup team is decided and Monty believes his team may not be decided until the final few putts are struck at the Perthshire venue.

“Places eight, nine, ten, eleven, they could come down to the last few putts here next year.” Montgomerie told reporters ahead of this year’s tournament, which gets underway on Thursday.

“It shows current form and that’s what we are after, leading into the Ryder Cup… I’ll be watching very closely how people react to certain pressures coming down the last few holes at the Wales Open especially,” Montgomerie said.

The qualification process for the Ryder Cup team begins at next week’s European Masters tournament in Switzerland and also the Deutsche Bank tournament in Boston.

The European team will comprise of four players from a world points list and five from a European points list. Montgomerie, as captain, will select the remaining three players.