European captain Paul McGinley has urged Paul Lawrie to play himself into Ryder Cup contention with his form between now and Gleneagles in September.

The 1999 Open Championship winner, who has played in two Ryder Cups previously, is currently way back in the qualifying tables following a poor 12 months.

However, McGinley has insisted that Lawrie should not give up hope of being handed a wildcard pick if he is playing well on the eve of the tournament, hinting that he may favour the 45-year-old Scot as he would be playing on home soil.

"We've got the Open Championship next week and then the Scottish Open," he told BBC Scotland. "Should Paul play and perform well in one of those, with his pedigree of course you'd love to see him back in the arena again.

"Being Scottish, and the Ryder Cup being in Scotland, [Lawrie] may come in with a late run. We'll have to wait and see.

"I've said it all along from day one that form is a huge determining factor when it comes to my picks. I'm really watching form and we're in the middle of the form period. The next six weeks is really going to be the time for honing in on who's playing well and who's making a late run."

There are currently no Scotsmen in line to qualify for McGinley's team based on their positions in the European and world points lists, with Stephen Gallacher the closest to changing that situation.