Adam Scott's return to form has four Australians in the box seat to play Presidents Cup in Melbourne this year.
Scott, who had been making steady progress through the rankings of late, finished second at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio at the weekend.
It was enough to vault him into fourth place on the International team rankings for the first time since the race began last year, well inside the top eight who automatically qualify.
He joins Marc Leishman (1), Cameron Smith (7) and Jason Day (8) in that bracket as they seek to continue a streak in which no fewer than three Australians have have competed in each Presidents Cup since its inception in 1994.
The runner-up finish was Scott’s second of the season and represented his fifth top-10 result in 12 starts.
The 38-year-old Queenslander has competed in every Presidents Cup since 2003 and has been an automatic qualifier each time except 2009, when he was one of two captain’s picks for Greg Norman’s team in San Francisco.
"I feel good. For sure, everything I've been doing is moving in the right direction," Scott said.
While Scott hopes to bring experience to the International Team, Patrick Cantlay is one step closer to qualifying for his first Presidents Cup team after the 27-year-old won the Memorial to reach No.6 in the American team standings.
Cantlay’s win is the highlight of an already stellar season marked by eight top-10 finishes in 14 starts, which includes a runner-up at the Shriners Hospitals of Children Open and a T3 finish at the PGA Championship.
The Presidents Cup returns to Royal Melbourne for the third time from 12-15 December with teams to be captained by Ernie Els and Tiger Woods, who moved back up to No.10 from No.11 in the American rankings after a strong finish at the Memorial.
Meanwhile, two Australians are still prominent in the race to make the Junior Presidents Cup team, with that tournament to be held in the days leading up to the main event.
Karl Vilips, who played in the inaugural tournament in New Jersey two years ago, remains No.1, while emerging Perth youngster Josh Greer is up to No.11.
The top 12 International players on the WAGR at 5 September will compete against the United States on 8-9 December, also at Royal Melbourne.
Presidents Cup team standings (6/6/19):
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