But now there are no guarantees he’ll be on the USA team next month when the Ryder Cup begins at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota. Fowler needed to finish third to move past Zach Johnson into the eighth spot in the US standings, and he was two shots clear of O’Hair and Grillo.
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The Barclays was the final event that Americans could earn eight automatic spots on the team.
The eight US players locked in after Sunday’s action are Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Reed, Jimmy Walker, Brooks Koepka, Brandt Snedeker and Zach Johnson.
It was what Patrick Reed described as a huge win and it came on the last day of play at the Barclay’s PGA tournament at Bethpage Black. A birdie on No. 12 stretched it two shots, and no one got closer until Reed made bogey on the final hole.
Never short on confidence, Reed picked an opportune time to close out a victory drought he felt had lingered far too long, and he booked his ticket to Hazeltine in the process.
“Very disappointing”, Fowler said. “I was trying to win”.
On the other side of Reed’s triumphant and productive day was Rickie Fowler, who took a one-shot lead into the day and shot 74 to tumble to a tie for seventh. “I was just waiting for the putter to catch up”. He played his final four holes at 3-over, putting him in a tie for seventh and out of the Ryder Cup points list looking in. His meltdown over the last four holes ensured that the eighth and final automatic spot on the team would go to Zach Johnson, though Fowler could still make the squad as one of four captain’s picks. He missed another fairway and took bogey.
His mixed bag round on Sunday included four birdies and three bogeys.
“I’m just trying to win the tournament”, Fowler said when asked if he knew where he stood.
He will then make his fourth and final pick at the end of the Tour Championship.
“I just have to continue working on my game and continue getting better”, said Fowler, whose fate now rests with USA captain Davis Love III. It was the fourth time Fowler has failed to convert a 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour, though he remained optimistic.
Fowler will now wait and hope for a call from Love, who will make three wild-card selections on September 12 after the BMW Championship and one more on September 25, directly after the final round of the Tour Championship.
Reed had gone 55 tournaments worldwide since starting 2015 with a victory at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
Reed, who shot 70 on Sunday and was the most consistent player in the field all week, has no such worry.
O’Hair was among five players who moved into the top 100 in the FedEx Cup, advancing to the next playoff event at the TPC Boston that starts Friday.
O’Hair shot a 5-under 66 early in the day and moved from 108 in the FedEx Cup standings to 15th.
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Rickie Fowler, the most popular speculative Ryder Cup captain’s pick around, will continue to be just that for at least another two weeks. He has three European Tour victories.
