Rickie Fowler, Newsday columnist Mark Herrmann writes, “probably is a lock for the [U.S. Ryder Cup] team”, notwithstanding his back-nine collapse at the Barclays on Sunday.
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Fowler’s loss was Zach Johnson’s gain as the 2015 British Open champion claimed the final automatic spot.
“Anybody in the top 100 has to be our radar because a guy could get hot the next two weeks and move himself to the Tour Championship and be in the running for the FedEx Cup”, Love said. He, Brandt Snedeker and Johnson secured the final three spots after Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Jimmy Walker and Brooks Koepka had already clinched theirs.
So while it’s a mature stance for Reed to insist he’s just attempting to compartmentalize a win at Bethpage Black without worrying about the impending Ryder Cup scenario, that’s easier said than done.
Scott said even though the FedEx Cup playoffs were in their 10th year, some players were still warming up to the idea. “Each has a real passion for the Ryder Cup”. “It takes care of everything”.
More importantly to him, he played his way out of an automatic berth on the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
“I want sweet revenge like our whole team does”, Reed said. This is a player who earned a late opportunity to represent the U.S.at the recent Olympics and jumped at it. But to come down here and to be able to finish off on the last is just incredible.
“I felt like I wanted to have fun and be happy on the course”, Jutanugarn said.
But there was so much more going on in the final round of The Barclays, so many other implications and machinations that had little to do with winning the tournament. Larson had the better restart and went on to win by 1.48 seconds.
Two of the world’s top 10-ranked players – No. 6 Bubba Watson and No. 8 Fowler – did not make the US team’s first eight. Watson and Fowler will be among those hoping to be included as one of four wildcard picks next month when captain Davis Love completes his 12-man team for the three-day event at Hazeltine, Minnesota that starts on September 30.
Now comes the hard part for Love and European captain Darren Clarke. After a bounceback birdie at 17 gave him hope, Fowler ended the suspense with a wayward drive at 18 and one last bogey, ceding the final autobid to Johnson. “And I get to pick him on Sunday night”. “I tried to make the team just like everybody else and I didn’t make it”. Reed was one of the bright spots for the Americans, and he’s eager to play before a home crowd.
“Any swing now, it’s going to go”, Johnson said. I don’t think there’s any scenario. But he suffered another bogey and will now have to rely on a Captain’s pick to be in Hazeltine. Not only are they playing for the FedEx Cup and for a lot of money, trying to win the last tournament of the year, but they have got this Ryder Cup thing hanging over them. I wasn’t too anxious about that. “I’ve had – it feels like a hundred top-10s this year, and I’ve just kind of stayed there on that six, seven, eight, nine stretch, on the Ryder Cup (standings), and it takes something like a win to be able to solidify yourself”. Graham Rahal made a last-lap pass and just held on to beat James Hinchcliffe late Saturday in the closest finish ever for an IndyCar race at Texas. “I was trying to win”.
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This article was written by JERRY ZGODA from Star Tribune and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
