For the American players in contention for next month's matches at the K Club, the Ryder Cup is more than a sub-plot. It's an itch they're struggling to scratch. Lucas Glover, currently in 14th place in the standings and needing to finish eighth or higher to make the team at the death, was asked if the race for points was on his mind.

"Every day, every minute, every second for the last six months, " Glover replied.

As in 1999, Medinah is not only the crucible for the fourth major of the season, but it represents the lastchance saloon for about 10 Ryder Cup hopefuls. The automatic qualifiers will be finalised this evening, and then tomorrow, Lehman will return to a largely deserted course to announce his two wild card selections.

"I'm trying to block it out, " revealed Davis Love who has been idling in 15th place, and who hasn't managed to earn himself a single Ryder Cup point since the WGC Accenture Match Play last February.

So the pressure of a major has been magnified. The 10th placed American, Brett Wetterich, was strolling along during the opening round at four under par when the first fault line appeared in the form of a quadruple bogey eight at the 12th hole. He followed that with a bogey and things began to unravel with another quadruple bogey at the difficult short 17th. Wetterich knew what missing the cut meant. He would almost certainly drop out of the top 10, and there would be no good news phone call from Lehman.

For Vaughn Taylor in seventh place, Zach Johnson in ninth and John Rollins in 11th, there was also the dejection of missing the weekend, but if Lehman most certainly wasn't saying it, that degree of movement in the standings so early in the tournament was precisely what the captain needed.

He has consistently played down the importance of experience both in terms of his qualifiers and his two picks, but consider this. If Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk, and Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco are as expected paired together on the first morning at the K Club, America are strong at the top of the order. But even though both David Toms and Chad Campbell have cut their Ryder Cup teeth, the rest of the side is relatively weak.

In short, Lehman needs experience. So, if Stewart Cink . . . currently in 12th place . . . fails to break into the top 10, he appears to be guaranteed a pick. The same can't be said for Glover whose only chance is automatic qualification, while Fred Couples's supporters are now resigned to their man's fate. Already a long shot because of his nervy putting from close range, Couples's missed cut here was the last straw.

By contrast, the odds on Love making his seventh appearance in a row have shortened dramatically.

While he has admitted that he doesn't deserve to be a pick on recent form, his performance in the early stages of this tournament could well be enough to make Lehman's mind up.

"I've never thought about, well, this is a $100,000 putt, or this tournament is worth $1m, " he explained, "but I think this year I've started playing for points and it's really been a distraction. I've backed myself into a corner now, and sometimes you start doing things a little better when you're backed into a corner."

In the event that Cink and Love soothe Lehman's brow by qualifying, the wild card decisions become less stressful. An accurate driver and a consistent putter such as Scott Verplank comes into the equation, as do Tim Herron and Jerry Kelly. The consensus here is that Verplank and Herron will get the captain's votes.

What is certain though is that Lehman, his assistant captain Corey Pavin, the vast majority of his players and their caddies will be flying to Dublin next Sunday at the close of the WGC Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio for a two-day familiarisation and bonding session at the K Club. If both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are doubts to make the trip because of previous commitments, Lehman remains hopeful that his entire team will be able to travel.

"For sure, we'll have 10 players, possibly 11 and possibly 12, " said Lehman. "Tiger is trying to come, he has a commitment with his charity on the Tuesday, and Phil is committed somewhere first thing on the Wednesday morning, so Tiger is trying to go for at least a day."

There was, however, a suggestion that Woods might opt out when Lehman was quick to emphasise that the world number one knows the K Club intimately from previous visits around the time of the British Open. "Tiger is the least of our worries. The biggest worry is how to stop the European freight train from running us over again, " Lehman added.

Although previous captains have organised ad hoc visits to Ryder Cup venues, this is by far the most formal arrangement to date. "It was never a requirement to get all 12 players. It wasn't really 'You have to go'. For me, the trip goes beyond just acclimatisation, it's about preparation, " said Lehman. "We might catch a few trout, drink some Guinness, but seriously though, I'm sure we'll play foursomes and fourballs. It'll be good for our guys to know their way around a bit, so that when we get there on the Monday of the Ryder Cup, we'll feel at home.

"It is the first time a trip like this has been arranged, and even if we go over to Ireland and spend two days in the pub, everyone knows we've made the effort to do it.

I believe it'll be great for the team."

In the meantime, Lehman will suspend his role as travel agent to concentrate on his wild card selections. "I'll be making some phone calls, some guys will be happy, some won't. When you expect the call to be good, and it's not, it can be crushing. I'm not really looking forward to it."

He was also asked what he thought was the one quality that he needed to see in his players. "The ability to play your best golf, the higher the stakes, " was Lehman's answer. And that's why Davis Love looks certain to be getting some good news.