Ryan Gerard reveals two refreshing reasons for immediate Switzerland dash after $3.7m payday

Ryan Gerard has no time to dwell on his career-best PGA Tour payday after sealing an impressive solo third at East Lake.

Gerard produced the biggest payday of his career at East Lake, finishing solo third at 12-under par to collect a huge $3.7m cheque.

While many players would understandably be ready for some downtime after the FedEx Cup finale, Gerard has other plans.

The 27-year-old revealed after Sunday's final round that he was preparing to board a red-eye flight from Georgia to Switzerland, where he will tee it up at the Omega European Masters at the famed Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club. 

And, refreshingly, Gerard has two very good reasons for doing so.

The first is that he is serious about maintaining his DP World Tour membership. 

Gerard needs to play two more events on the circuit to fulfil the requirements needed to retain his status, making this week's Omega European Masters an important addition to his schedule.

The second could be even more significant.

Gerard has given himself a genuine chance of making his Presidents Cup debut at Medinah later this month after an impressive display at East Lake.

The American finished 16th in the Presidents Cup standings when the race concluded after the BMW Championship, with the top six automatically qualifying for Brandt Snedeker's U.S. team. 

That left Gerard needing one of Snedeker's six captain's picks to earn his first appearance in the biennial contest.

But his performance at East Lake has certainly given the U.S. captain something of a headache.

Gerard was the second-highest American on the Tour Championship leaderboard, finishing only behind World No.1 Scottie Scheffler, who captured his third title of the season and second career FedEx Cup.

Having already recorded five top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season, the one-time PGA Tour winner could hardly have timed his latest impressive showing better as Snedeker weighs up his remaining selections.

And Gerard knows exactly how he would like to prepare if his name is called.

"Like full transparency, if I get a Presidents Cup spot, I'd love to kind of roll into there being a little bit more prepared," Gerard told reporters Sunday night in Georgia.

He also made clear that his European trip is not solely about the potential Presidents Cup opportunity.

"I need to play two more DP World Tour events to maintain not being suspended from their Tour, so that was one of them," he explained.

Gerard's willingness to immediately cross the Atlantic is also refreshing given how rarely American PGA Tour players commit to competing in DP World Tour events outside their familiar surroundings in the United States.

For Gerard, though, regular competition is clearly part of his preferred routine.

"I like to play a lot of golf, and if I don't, I'll probably just stay over there and play Wentworth and the France Open after that," he added. 

That could give Gerard a valuable run of competitive golf before Medinah, should Snedeker reward his excellent finish with a captain's pick.

"I'm going to get on a red-eye here in a couple hours to play DP World Tour next week," Gerard said.

"We're getting ready to grind. Season's not over for me."

After the biggest payday of his career, Gerard could have easily taken some time off.

Instead, he is heading straight to Switzerland with his DP World Tour status to secure, his game to sharpen and potentially a Presidents Cup debut to prepare for.

"I feel like I'm at my most prepared when I'm in kind of a rhythm," he said.

"I'll be ready for whatever the future holds, but I need to get a couple more events in."