Phil Mickelson is confident he will improve his own record for Ryder Cup appearances when the qualifying period for the United States’ team comes to an end on Sunday.
Mickelson is currently 10th in the points standings with the top nine at the conclusion of the US PGA Championship at Valhalla sealing a place on the team for Gleneagles at the end of September.
The five-time major winner has appeared in every Ryder Cup cup since making his debut in 1995 and is proud to have qualified automatically all nine times.
Asked if he thought he would receive a wild card from captain Tom Watson, Mickelson said: “I’m not to that point yet. I’ve got five more days here.
“I really do believe that after the way I played on the weekend (at WGC-Bridgestone Invitational), I think I’ll continue that play into this week and I’m confident that I’ll get on the team on my own and won’t require that pick. I want to keep that streak going of two decades that I have.”
Mickelson looked out of form in the defence of his Open title at Royal Liverpool and for most of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational last week, but carded a closing 62 to close the gap to former Masters champion Zach Johnson, who occupies the last automatic qualifying place.
The 44-year-old’s nine appearances is already a record for the United States – Nick Faldo played 11 times for Europe – although the left-hander has only tasted victory twice.
“It really is a fun place for us to play because of the memories that we have in 2008,” Mickelson added, alluding to Team USA’s Ryder Cup win at Valhalla that year