Jeff Maggert started to feel the pressure about the time he teed off in the final round of the PGA Championship, eight strokes behind the leader.

The Wanamaker Trophy was out of his grasp at Winged Foot in 1997, but Maggert was very much in contention for the other tournament that takes place at the PGA Championship every other year -- a spot on the Ryder Cup team.

"I knew I needed a top 10," Maggert said. "I wasn't really in a position to win going into Sunday, but I was counting the number of shots I was from the top 10. I was thinking that way -- only two shots out of the top 10. Go play a good round and see what happens."

What happened was the best round of the day, a 5-under 65 that shot him into third place and clinched a spot on his second Ryder Cup team.

"There was a lot more pressure on that round than any other," he said.

That's what awaits players like Jim Furyk, Brad Faxon, David Toms and Rocco Mediate, who occupy the 11th through 14th slots on the Ryder Cup standings.

The PGA Championship is the final tournament to earn points for the Ryder Cup. The top 10 players automatically make the team, and no one wants to take a chance that Curtis Strange will spend his two captain's picks on them.

Faxon has been there before and delivered in spectacular fashion.

He tied a major championship record with a 63 in the final round of the 1995 PGA Championship at Riviera and zoomed into a tie for fifth, earning just enough points to qualify for the team.

Another Ryder Cup berth looms.

"Is that this year?" Faxon said jokingly. "The bottom line is, I've got to play well every day and every week. I've had some experiences in the past when I made it on Sunday of the PGA. I'm ready for that if it comes down to that. I'd like to make the team earlier."

That would alleviate some of the pressure.

Unlike the European point system, American players get points only by finishing in the top 10. Points are double in a Ryder Cup year, and they count the most in a major - 300 for winning, down to 20 points for 10th.

Going into the final two tournaments, the Buick Open and the PGA Championship, Faxon was nine points away from moving past Joe Durant into the 10th spot.

Every round, every shot, every putt seems to make a difference.

Faxon closed with four birdies last week at the International, moving him into a tie for sixth and giving him 45 precious points. If Ernie Els had not made eagle on the 17th hole, Faxon could have picked up 10 more points.

"I don't know how anybody could be in eighth to 12th and not be thinking about where you stand on the Ryder Cup," Faxon said.

Toms is aware. Since missing the cut in the British Open, Toms has played in the John Deere Classic and International. He teed it up in the Buick Open and gets one last chance at the PGA Championship.

Two years ago at Medinah, Bob Estes was 14th in the standings and needed a big finish at the PGA to make his first Ryder Cup team. Having no prior experience, it was unlikely that captain Ben Crenshaw would pick him.

Eight strokes behind Tiger Woods and Mike Weir going into the last round, the 35-year-old Texan got hot. He birdied four of the first five holes on the back nine and suddenly held fourth place alone. All he needed was a two-way tie for fifth to move into the top 10.

Estes was still thinking about winning his first major, but he heard the cheers.

"There were a number of people those last four or five holes who were hollering out my name, 'See you at Brookline,' as if I had sealed the deal," Estes said. "A lot of them were obviously aware of the Ryder Cup point standings. I already knew I was close."

He didn't how dearly his mistakes could cost him.

Estes missed the fairway on No. 16 and missed about a 12-foot par putt. He found a bunker on the par-3 17th and took another bogey. That dropped him into a tie for sixth with Colin Montgomerie, and moved him up only to 11th place in the Ryder Cup standings.

The next day, Crenshaw selected Tom Lehman and Steve Pate.

"It's not something you want to be thinking about when you're trying to win a major," Estes said.

The man Estes was trying to knock off the team was none other than Maggert, who already had missed the cut at Medinah and was too nervous to watch on television.

"I was kicking myself for missing the cut," Maggert said. "There wasn't anything I could do. I knew Bob was playing well, and it's hard to root against the guy. I've known Bob since I was 16. I just tried to enjoy the weekend with my wife and kids. I turned it on right at the end to see the finish."

When he first saw a leaderboard on TV, Estes' name was not among the top four.

"I let out a sigh of relief," Maggert said.

A half-dozen Europeans also will find themselves competing in a tournament within a tournament at the PGA.

It is not their last chance to earn points -- their system is based on money -- because two tournaments remain for them to make the team.

Still, a top-five finish by players like Ian Woosnam, Sergio Garcia or Jose Maria Olazabal could get them into the $5 million World Golf Championship the following week at Firestone, where even more points are available.

It's a lot to digest with a major championship on the line.

"The hardest part," Maggert said, "is not to think about the Ryder Cup and just play golf."

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