Confident Chopra aiming to boldly go on Ryder trek
STAR TREK fanatic Daniel Chopra beamed himself up into second place behind Justin Rose in the race to the Ryder Cup after beating new World No 3 Steve Stricker at the fourth hole of sudden-death at the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Hawaii.
Chopra earned fame as the first person to hit a golf ball off the Great Wall of China; he might earn some more as the first player to win a European Ryder Cup cap without visiting Europe.
He qualified for last weekend's winners-only event in October, but unlike the Ginn-sur-Mer Classic in Florida this one earns him a Masters debut at Augusta in April -- "my lifelong dream".
Chopra (34) was well aware Europe's 'Captain Kirk', Nick Faldo, was in The 'Golf Channel's' commentary booth as he stole a march on his Ryder Cup rivals in the US Tour season's first event.
"I've thought about the fact he's out there watching," Chopra admitted after clinching his second US PGA Tour victory in three starts.
"He has watched me play now a little bit. Hopefully he'll have some insight into what I can do to improve -- I'm sure we'll chat about it soon."
As for the possibility of a Ryder Cup debut in Louisville in September, the Swede said: "That'd be fun. You know, with the Ryder Cup here in the US on an American-style golf course, which I'm used to playing, maybe that's something that might be beneficial to the team.
"Although I still have to be in the top five of the ranked players in the world.
"I have to play well and when you consider guys like (Pádraig) Harrington, (Henrik) Stenson and Monty (Colin Montgomerie) and all those guys, Sergio (Garcia), they'll be racking up points."
Meanwhile Open champion Harrington has turned down a golden opportunity to take a peek at US Open course Torrey Pines in a forthnight's time.
Harrington has withdrawn from the Buick Invitational in San Diego, explaining a mid-winter virus had left him ill-repared for the 15-hour round the world dash he'd have to make from Abu Dhabi to play in the event.
The Dubliner opens his 2008 campaign at the European Tour's Abu Dhabi Championship in the United Arab Emirates next week and he will go tothe AT&T National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach two weeks later.
