World number seven Watson, the 2012 and 2014 Masters champion, was overlooked in favour of Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar and J.B. Holmes. The PGA Tour’s decision to reverse the club’s nines this year to finish the event on a par 5 instead of the traditional 230-yard par-3 finisher likely did little to change Watson’s mind.
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Furyk has not given up hope of capturing that fourth pick and playing in his 10th Ryder Cup, despite his acceptance of a vice-captain’s role up to now. “It was a very, very tough decision but we kept coming back to these three”.
Later during the press conference, Kuchar talked about how “legendary” it would be to have Tiger Woods be Team USA’s final captain’s pick. “We’re really confident in them”. Fowler was 11th and Kuchar 12th.
All three players named by Love on Monday have an inferior world ranking to Watson – Fowler is ranked ninth, Kuchar 17th and Holmes 21st. He hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since the 2015 Players Championship (he did capture the European Tour’s Abu Dhabi Championship in January) and has had only one top-10 since May, after a flurry of strong finishes early in the season when he had six top-10s in 10 starts.
Love’s first eight players include 11-time Ryder Cup player Mickelson and have, among them, 11 major championships, an individual distinction that hasn’t brought the Americans recent success in team competition.
Less than a month before the 2016 Ryder Cup, Europe’s most successful captain returned to the venue where he spearheaded Europe’s first victory for 28 years in 1985.
Love has said he will publicly name his final pick live on “Sunday Night Football” on September 25.
“It stinks to have to be picked”, Kuchar said. “We found no weaknesses in his game, and he’s such a great team mate”.
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.
“I still have massive love for the European Tour and I’m going to watch Hazeltine with a sort of sadness that I can’t be part of that”. He has been part of winning US teams in the Walker, Ryder and Presidents cups. Arguing that two guys sitting in the top ten in strokes gained don’t deserve a spot could be a stretch, but it is alarming when taking a close look at records in Ryder Cup play and the form that Fowler has shown. Having had the two overseas, it’s going to be pretty unbelievable getting to play in front of a home crowd.
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“It’s going to be pretty wonderful getting to play in front of a home crowd, it will be a completely different feeling for sure”, he said. He will play in his fourth straightRyder Cup.
