LEE WESTWOOD WILL recover from injury in time to play in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor in two weeks time.

A spokesperson for his management team said that his recovery from a rupture to the plantaris muscle in his right calf sustained at the French Open is ahead of schedule.

Earlier today, European vice-captain Paul McGinley said that the doubts over Westwood playing would be a boost to the USA team.

“A couple of months ago we were quite clear favourites but in the last two months things have changed. We have been hurt by Lee Westwood’s injury. There’s no doubt about that” McGinley told The Guardian.

Paul Casey would be one of the front-runners to take Westwood’s place should the Englishman miss out, and has been in flying form at the BMW Open in Chicago lately. McGinley, though, says that selection should be determined by performance on the European tour only.

“My views are very strong,” he said. “We’re a European team. We’re a European Tour. And even though a lot of players are playing in America we have to draw the line. We need to finish the qualification for a European team on European soil.It would be very strange if we were waiting on what happens on the PGA Tour in order to decide the European team. That just doesn’t add up.”

“We can stand on our own two feet. We’re a strong enough tour with very good tournaments. We have a great finishing campaign every two years for the Ryder Cup and there is where we always need to finish – on our terms and not the Americans’ terms.”