Graeme McDowell ended a five-year winless drought on the European Tour by claiming the Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers title to enter the mix of contenders aiming for a spot on Europe’s Ryder Cup side.

The Northern Irishman joined the battle for one of the nine automatic qualification spots only weeks after his fellow Ryder Cup star, and Vice Captain from Paris, Lee Westwood, etched his name on the Abu Dhabi HSBC Champions presented by EGA trophy. McDowell now sits in eighth position on the World Points List, while Westwood is tenth.

Thomas Pieters was the other big mover on the European Points List after the Saudi International as the Belgian finished in a tie for third place to pick up valuable points in his bid to return to the European team he represented at The Ryder Cup in 2016.

The names at the top of both the European Points and World Points lists remain unchanged, but McDowell, who famously earned the winning point for Team Europe in The 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, has moved onto the projected team. Were the qualification period to end today, McDowell would be teeing it up at Whistling Straights in his fifth Ryder Cup.