Ireland's Paul McGinley believes he is 90% certain of his place in the Ryder Cup team after his nerve-wracking sudden death play-off victory at the Wales Open.

McGinley parred the fifth extra hole to eventually see off Daren Lee and Paul Lawrie and claim the 201,685 Ryder Cup points that lifted him from 10th to eighth in the cup standings.

"I don't feel I'm 100% there yet but I'm getting close to it now," said the 34-year-old Dubliner after his third European Tour victory.

"There was a big difference between winning and coming second in terms of Ryder Cup points and that was a lot of pressure. That's what drove me on.

"It's been on my mind since the qualifying started and I really felt I could make the team. Everybody knows how much I wanted to make the team and I've done 90% it now.

"I feel very fulfilled that I've done what I've set out to do. It's not 100% but I've broken the back of it and it's nice to have so many points on the board.

"I don't know how many points I need but hopefully I can make sure in the next two weeks at the USPGA and NEC Invitational."

McGinley, Lawrie and Lee had finished tied on six-under-par 138 after two rounds were finally completed on Saturday evening, Lee finishing in near-darkness at 8:30pm.

The intention was then to reduce the tournament to 54 holes and play the final 18 on Sunday before further heavy rain on Sunday morning meant it was impossible to get all 81 remaining players round the saturated and steeply undulating Wentwood Hills course.

The event was therefore reduced to 36 holes - with 75% of the original prize money awarded - and a play-off was required on the par three 12th hole to decide a winner, the first time in European Tour history that an event shortened to 36 holes had to be decided in such a way.

Five other events had been shortened to 36 holes but each time there was a clear leader at that stage and ironically one of those was former Open champion Lawrie, who won his first tour title in the Open Catalonia in 1996.

"Goran Ivanisevic said God sent the rain for him at Wimbledon and maybe he sent it for me too!" McGinley added following his first play-off success after two previous losses, his win also ending a run of five second places since his last win in 1997.

"I can relate to how Tim Henman felt in his match against Ivanisevic over three days. That's how I felt.

"I felt the pressure all morning, even sitting having breakfast, and went back to my room to try and calm down two hours before the decision to have a play-off was made.

"It's the most tension-packed situation I've been in because most of the pressure came from within. I felt unbelievably determined to do it."

Lee, from Harlow in Essex, missed a great opportunity to win it on the first extra hole when, with Lawrie and McGinley only able to make par, he left his birdie putt from 12 feet inches short of the hole.

Lawrie was the first to be eliminated when he three-putted the second extra hole while the remaining pair then bogeyed the 208-yard hole at the third attempt after finding sand off the tee, Lee's putt for victory from 12feet lipping out.

Chasing his first tour win, Lee bravely saved par at the fourth time of asking with two putts from long range as McGinley made a regulation par.

He could not save par next time round however after missing the green and McGinley splashed out to two feet from the greenside bunker to seal a nerve-wracking win.

"It was nice to have a chance to win," said Lee, 36, who won the silver medal as leading amateur in the Open at Muirfield in 1992.

"The first putt I missed was unfortunate but that's the way it goes. There's nothing you can do."

Lawrie, who moved from 25th to 22nd in the cup standings, added: "It was typical of the whole week the way I finished with three putts. That's just the way it's been.

"I played fantastic but putted as bad as you can. If I had putted anything like half decent I would have been six or seven shots better. Even last night I missed a four footer on the last which would have been to win, as it turns out.

"I played fantastic tee to green and I should have won but maybe we can all say that. Hopefully next week I can go one better."

The reduction to 36 holes was the only realistic option open to tournament director Mike Stewart but inevitably meant some players were disappointed.

Wales' Phil Price for instance missed out on the chance to improve on his overnight position of joint 14th and saw himself knocked down from ninth to 10th in the standings by McGinley.

"I'm disappointed not to play but that's the way it goes," Price said. "There's nothing you can do about the weather. It hasn't helped me at all and I'm sure it has given Paul (McGinley) a huge boost.

"I needed to play, needed the Ryder Cup points. 75% is no good, I'm disappointed as I need a lot of points.

"I've not played great for the two rounds. It was steady but I needed to play well and hoped I was going to today but I'm not going to have the chance. I need to have a good week in Atlanta now."

Another Welshman, Mark Pilkington, also had to settle for a share of fourth place and admitted he had mixed feelings after being denied the chance to secure his card for next season with a higher finish.

"I suppose I would have taken fourth at the start of the week but it's a double-edged sword," he said.

"It's a bit disappointing being in a good position and not being able to play but there's nothing you can do about it. I'm still pleased that I'm playing well and hopefully I can take it on to the next couple of weeks.

"It's a step in the right direction and there are lots of positives to come out of the week. My best finish before this week was 17th in the French Open which was also very wet, we had to play 36 holes in Lyon on the final day.

"I'll have to do a rain dance every week!"

Collated scores and totals in second (and final) round of Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open, Newport

(Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 72, (x) denotes amateur) (Tournament reduced to 36 holes due to rain, McGinley won sudden death play-off at fifth extra hole)

138 P McGinley 67 71 (£125,000), P Lawrie 67 71, D Lee 69 69 (£65,140 each)

139 A Forsbrand (Swe) 72 67, M Pilkington 68 71, J Donaldson 68 71 (£31,850 each)

140 A Hansen (Den) 72 68 (£22,500)

141 N O'Hern (Aus) 70 71, T Levet (Fra) 71 70, G Orr 67 74, S Webster 74 67, N Henning (Rsa) 73 68, R Wessels (Rsa) 68 73

142 P Price 70 72, S Dyson 73 69, K Spurgeon 72 70, J Moseley (Aus) 70 72, S Struver (Ger) 72 70, S Gardiner (Aus) 69 73

143 A Forsyth 72 71, G Rankin 68 75, W Bennett 72 71, S Luna (Spa) 72 71, J Hugo (Rsa) 72 71, J Senden (Aus) 72 71, S Kjeldsen (Den) 70 73, D Higgins 73 70, J Lomas 73 70, I Garrido (Spa) 72 71, I Poulter 71 72, S Hurd 69 74, J Robinson 73 70

144 J Bickerton 71 73, C Pettersson (Swe) 74 70, J Rose 71 73, A Oldcorn 69 75, A Cejka (Ger) 74 70, M Roe 70 74, M Jonzon (Swe) 70 74, T Immelman (Rsa) 72 72, D Lynn 69 75, D Terblanche (Rsa) 77 67, F Henge (Swe) 72 72, M Farry (Fra) 71 73, P Casey 74 70, M McNulty (Zim) 77 67, R Winchester 68 76, P Nyman (Swe) 72 72

145 T Gogele (Ger) 70 75, D Carter 70 75, A Wall 72 73, I Woosnam 73 72, B Lane 71 74, G Evans 72 73, F Andersson (Swe) 72 73, (x) C Williams 74 71, JM Singh (Ind) 75 70, O Edmond (Fra) 75 70, M Bernardini (Ita) 73 72, J Berendt (Arg) 74 71, S Gallacher 74 71, M Brier (Aut) 72 73, S Hurley 75 70, D Edlund (Swe) 72 73, T Munoz (Spa) 70 75

146 A Beal 74 72, G Houston 73 73, M Scarpa (Ita) 74 72, S Richardson 74 72, G Murphy 71 75, S Bebb 72 74, B Dredge 73 73, M Higley 70 76, D Park 72 74, J Sandelin (Swe) 71 75, W Riley (Aus) 70 76, R Green (Aus) 73 73, D Botes (Rsa) 73 73, E Simsek (Ger) 72 74, S Scahill (Nzl) 72 74, M Lafeber (Ned) 72 74

Missed the cut:

147 P Baker 75 72, G Brand Jnr 75 72, D Borrego (Spa) 73 74, M Santi (Ita) 73 74, S Dodd 77 70, I Garbutt 74 73, J Spence 75 72, G Storm 73 74, R Coles 75 72, R Byrd (USA) 74 73, D Gilford 77 70, D Smyth 74 73, C Hainline (USA) 72 75, N Vanhootegem (Bel) 72 75

148 R Russell 72 76, S Torrance 72 76, M Lundberg (Swe) 69 79, R Claydon 73 75, S Tinning (Den) 76 72, G Emerson 72 76, SP Webster 73 75

149 G Rojas (Arg) 73 76, T Dier (Ger) 73 76, D Howell 72 77, L Parsons (Aus) 71 78, C Suneson (Spa) 75 74, D Robertson 75 74, A Coltart 76 73, R Muntz (Ned) 76 73, P Streeter 73 76

150 H Nystrom (Swe) 75 75, (x) M Griffiths 73 77, F Cea (Spa) 75 75, M Blackey 72 78, M Mackenzie 77 73, M Reale (Ita) 75 75, N Cheetham 76 74, M Plummer 78 72

151 H Otto (Rsa) 73 78, M Cain (Aus) 75 76, J Romero (Spa) 73 78, A Marshall 77 74

152 B Vaughan (Rsa) 74 78, P Fowler (Aus) 77 75, N Colsaerts (Bel) 77 75, B Teilleria (Fra) 78 74, P Broadhurst 79 73, M Capone (USA) 73 79, R Dinsdale 78 74

153 P Eales 77 76, M Florioli (Ita) 78 75, C Cevaer (Fra) 75 78, D Dixon 74 79, R McFarlane 75 78

154 V Phillips 76 78

155 (x) I Campbell 77 78, S Walker 78 77, P Walton 78 77, JF Remesy (Fra) 75 80

157 R Drummond 78 79

158 P Sjoland (Swe) 79 79, R Davis 81 77

Rtd: T Johnstone (Zim), P Mitchell, A Raitt, M Mouland

Withdrew: C Hanell (Swe)