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By Abbey Mastracco
PGATOUR.com staff

With the race to Royal Montreal getting tighter, several players already have their places on the 2007 Presidents Cup teams secured.

Fred Funk has made four straight cuts. (WIreImage)

Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Zach Johnson know they will be four of the 12 players representing the red, white and blue in September for Captain Jack Nicklaus. And four of the 12 playing for International Captain Gary Player will be Adam Scott, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh and Geoff Ogilvy.

But American Fred Funk doesn't have that security. In fact, at No. 27 in the American rankings, Funk's chances of playing at Royal Montreal Country Club don't look as good as he would like. But the two-time Presidents Cup team member and the one-time Ryder Cup team member warns not to discount him just yet.

"I better get going," Funk joked last week before the Buick Open. "It's my top priority right now. I'm healthy again and more apt to play well."

Funk said the back problems that plagued him earlier in the season after his win at the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun are now gone. He is 100 percent focused on making his third Presidents Cup team. And at optimum health, Funk thinks it is entirely possible.

"I'm back to feeling good. I'm looking forward to playing well now that I'm healthy," Funk said. "It means a lot to me. I've had so much fun being a part of the national team [in 2003 and 2005]."

Trevor Immelman feels the same sense of urgency Funk does. The young South African, who was a Captain's Pick for the International Team in 2005, currently stands eighth in the rankings.

"It's definitely at the forefront of my mind," Immelman said. "I'm really striving hard to make that team and go up to Canada and have a good week."

Immelman, like Funk, enjoys the team competition and camaraderie.

"It's fantastic to be in a team environment with your peers and guys you've looked up to," Immelman said. "It's something I really enjoyed last time and definitely don't want to miss."

Trevor Immelman (WireImage)

Funk knows he needs to impress Nicklaus, who will complete his team with two Captains Choices on Aug. 13, the day after the 10 automatic qualifiers are finalized. Points for the U.S. Team, which are based on money earned, are doubled this year.

"I got picked once, and I earned my way in the next time," the 51-year-old Funk said. "I wouldn't expect [to be picked] again. Not at my age."

While Funk remains at No. 27 for the second week in a row, several players above him did move this week after the Buick Open.

Woody Austin has put himself in contention with his play of late. After winning the Stanford St. Jude Championship three weeks ago, Austin jumped up into the 20s, and his second place tie at the Buick Open moved him up from No. 24 to No. 16.

Lucas Glover is also within reach of the U.S. team. Glover tied for 12th at Warwick Hills on Sunday, which moved him up two spots to No. 12.

The International rankings, which are based on the Official World Golf Ranking, saw almost no movement. The first thirteen places stayed the same. Canadian Stephen Ames moved up one spot to No. 14, putting him one spot closer to playing for Player in his home country.

PGATOUR.com takes a look at the contenders and possible Captains Picks:

American:
1. Woody Austin, No. 16
Austin's win at the Stanford St. Jude Classic last month and his tie for second at the Buick Open show that the 13-year TOUR vet still has some tricks up his sleeve. No one else has come close to notching a second win in less than a month lately.

2. Hunter Mahan, No. 22
A little young blood could do the team well. Mahan is coming off of a streak of three top-20 finishes in a row, including a tie for 13th at the U.S. Open and his first TOUR win at the Travelers Championship. Mahan's ball striking, currently ranked No. 11 on TOUR would fit nicely with the team of long drivers already in the top-10.

International:
1. Stephen Ames. No. 14
Ames has somewhat stalled this summer, despite a tie for 10th at the U.S. Open. But last year's PLAYERS champ would have a home-country advantage. The No. 33 player in the world has played well in Canada before, tying for seventh at the 2005 Bell Canadian Open.

2. Mike Weir, No. 19
Weir, another Canadian, is a good choice for a few reasons, the first reason being that his Presidents Cup record of 8-6-0 is strong. And although his play as of late hasn't been his best, Weir has always been good in major competitions, as he did win the 2003 Masters.