Once the eight automatic qualifiers were determined, he selected Ricky Fowler, Matt Kuchar, and former Kentucky Wildcat J.B. Holmes as captain’s picks. Woods isn’t the only voice in Love’s ear, and the captain is soliciting a lot of input.
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Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Phil Mickelson are among the players who automatically qualified through their play in 2015-16.
“This is a tough decision”, Love said. “We’re very confident in them”. The flamboyant left-hander’s form in recent months has been scratchy, while his Ryder Cup record (won three, lost eight, halved none) is poor.
Holmes, No. 21 in the world, and Kuchar (No. 17) finished in a tie for fourth in the BMW Championship in Carmel, Ind., on Sunday. “It’s been one of my main goals all year”. The Ryder Cup is slated for September 30-Oct.
Fowler was a logical selection having been part of the Ryder Cup task force put together by the Americans to look into how they might win the trophy back after Europe’s third successive win at Gleneagles two years ago.
While this stands at a single stat, this is one of the most telling stats in the golfing world and gives insight on the level of play over the course of the entire season. “He’s easy to pair”.
Like Kuchar, Fowler was in the USA team for the Rio Olympics last month, and played five weeks in a row as he sought to earn FedEx Cup points for the finale – where the overall victor lands a $10 million jackpot.
United States Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III insists his final pick will be the best fit and not necessarily the best player. He was 11 shots behind victor Dustin Johnson, who had already qualified for the Ryder Cup team. It’s not team golf on his mind at present, however, but a first victory since claiming the Malaysian Open in April, 2014. He is 0-3-5 in the Ryder Cup.
“We’ve had a lot of awkwardness in the past year and a half”.
Kuchar has 10 top-10 finishes and 15 top-25s in 23 starts this season. “We found no weaknesses in his game, and he’s such a great team mate”.
“He’s such a great teammate”, Love said. “He brings a lot of intangibles to our team”. Fowler has won zero Ryder Cup matches. 2 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota.
So, the other line of thought goes, maybe it’s time the American captain spreads his picks to some young, fresh faces.
“I was very excited”, Holmes said in an interview with GolfDigest. For me to make this team.
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Short of that kind of 11th-hour rally, however, the list of potential picks for captain Davis Love III is relatively straightforward. We have so much respect for him (Love). The biggest thing I’ve told several players is that it’s not a scoring contest at the Tour Championship for who gets the Ryder Cup pick. He is 4-5-2 in his Ryder Cup career and has played on three previous American teams.
