Ian Poulter heads into tomorrow's final major of the year confident he is on the verge of securing his Ryder Cup place. After a hesitant start to the season, the Briton has shot to the fringes of qualifying for Faldo's 12-man team to defend the Cup next month, thanks primarily to a second place in the Open Championship just over a fortnight ago and a tie for 16th in the World Championship Bridgestone Invitational on Sunday.

Now he knows a high finish in this week's US PGA Championship should guarantee a second Cup call without having to sweat on being one of Faldo's two captain's picks.

By happy coincidence, Poulter's only previous Ryder Cup appearance came at the PGA Championship's host venue, Oakland Hills near Detroit, in 2004 when Bernhard Langer's Europe crushed the United States by a record nine points.

He said: "I have very happy memories around this golf course. It's where I got to know one of the most memorable weeks I've ever had. It will be nice to refresh my mind with those good thoughts."

Poulter knows Faldo will be watching and hoping he translates those good thoughts into positive play. "I've been keeping in contact with Nick, I've rung him," he said.

" I'm in a situation where I'm close to making the side. I think I've got a good chance of making it, so I want to be kept in the picture of what Nick's plans are, and what his thoughts are, so it's not a rush job in four or five weeks time."

Poulter fell just short of selection for Europe's successful defence of the Ryder Cup in Ireland two years ago and is determined not to be absent again.

He said: "I don't want to miss Ryder Cups. It is a great experience to play in a team with great guys, good friends, and enjoy the week."
One of those friends, Luke Donald, is set to rule himself out of the side to play at Valhalla on 19-21 September after failing to recover from the wrist injury he sustained during the US Open in June.

Donald, who was forced to withdraw from the Open at Royal Birkdale and who won't be playing this week, admitted: "In the next week or so I will have to make one of the biggest decisions of my career.

"I'm nearing the crossroads where, if the injury does not improve, I will have to decide whether or not to go ahead with surgery. The alternative is simply to give my wrist more time to heal, and continue with rehabilitation therapy.

It is particularly annoying that this has happened to me in a Ryder Cup year.

"I have not yet given up on making the European team for Valhalla, but at this point it doesn't look good for me.

"It is my career which is at stake here, so I've been taking this very seriously. I think I am a reasonably intelligent person and I just want to get the bottom of what has happened to me in order to make sure it doesn't happen again."