Davis Love III has named Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar and JB Holmes as his three captain’s picks for the USA Ryder Cup team.
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Fowler, a member of the U.S. Ryder Cup Task Force created almost two years ago in the wake of yet another loss to Europe, missed qualifying for the Tour Championship by less than one point.
Golf fans around the world will learn Love’s philosophy Monday when he reveals three of his four captain’s picks.
“Imagine Tiger as a playing captain?”
The victor of four events on the PGA or European Tours since May 2015, including last year’s Players Championship, Fowler is one of the most recognisable figures in the game and boasts top-five finishes in all four majors. Once the eight automatic qualifiers were determined, he selected Ricky Fowler, Matt Kuchar, and former Kentucky Wildcat J.B. Holmes as captain’s picks. The United States has lost to Europe in each of the last three Ryder Cups and six of the last seven. A lot of people would look at the scorecard and say “It’s a long course, we need big hitters”. And despite taking a ton of time off to recover from an injury, the veteran has managed to raise himself to No. 15 in Ryder Cup point standings – a phenomenon Love has mentioned repeatedly for months.
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Despite that, Love said Fowler brings more to the table than won-loss records. He and Jimmy Walker played pretty decently together at Gleneagles in 2014, with three of their matches ending in hard-fought halves.
Kuchar, a popular figure on the PGA Tour, is set for a fourth successive appearance in the competition. He went 2-0-1 at Valhalla.
Left off the initial round of captain’s picks was Bubba Watson, now ranked No. 7 in the world.
“I think over my career, since my rookie season to now, I’ve gotten better”, he said in the Masters media conference following the vote.
The hopeful American fan, however, might point to the 2010 European Ryder Cup team.
“These three guys were really who we all wanted”, Love said a news conference at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn., where the 12-man USA team will take on the Europeans from September 30-Oct. 2.
The Americans have branded the motto “12 Strong” – an emphasis on team – on apparel and equipment they’ve ordered for next month’s Ryder Cup.
When asked about Watson, Love replied: “We’ve still got that other pick hanging out there”. “We found no weaknesses in his game, he’s such a great team-mate and is really confident on the big stage”.
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“We were still watching at the end, calling guys”, said Love, referring to Sunday’s final round of the BMW Championship in Indiana.
