Paul McGinley is determined to avoid a last-gasp scramble to make the 2006 European Ryder Cup team. The 39-year-old Dubliner, who sank the winning putt for Europe at the Belfry in 2002, is keen to secure a place in the team as soon as possible.
He is currently fourth in the standings with the help of an impressive win at the Volvo Masters last October.
"My main focus is to cement my cup spot, it's important to get that polished off and put away," he said.
"Both times I've made the team I've had to do it at the end.
"Last time I played 10 events in a row to make it, so it would be nice to avoid that."
The fact that this year's Ryder Cup is being held at Dublin's K Club in September is bound to add to McGinley's determination.
Aside from the win at the Volvo Masters, he had three second-placed finishes and a joint third at the WGC-NEC Championship during a consistent year.
 |  I've made a lot of progress, my career is at a high |
And McGinley admits the Volvo Masters win at Valderrama has given him real confidence.
"It was very important for me to win," he added. "There's a massive difference between finishing second and first, and to do it in such a big field against a quality field was something my career needed.
"I had proved I was good enough to play at that level - but I needed to win.
"Of course, expectations are higher now. I've made a lot of progress; my
career is at a high in terms of belief and my intention now is to win majors. I've got the momentum going for me right now."
McGinley also believes the WGC-NEC event last August, in which he finished behind Tiger Woods and Chris DiMarco, was the turning point of the season.
"The PGA was an important tournament for me but the NEC, that was the best I had ever played in America," he said.
"It was against a strong field and it looked like I could win at one stage. That was definitely a big rung on the ladder."
Recently he won all three of his games as Europe beat Asia in the Royal Trophy in Bangkok.
MMIX
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