Brooks Koepka will take his lead atop the 2018 American Ryder Cup rankings into the 2018 calendar year after a T2 finish at the WGC-HSBC Champions last Sunday.
Dustin Johnson, who also finished runner-up in China, jumped to fourth (from fifth) in the rankings.
Because only Majors and WGCs counted for points in 2017, it’s no surprise to see the three American major champions, along with DJ, a winner of two WGCs, at the top of the standings.
The WGC-HSBC Champions was the final tournament of the calendar year which awarded Ryder Cup points. But the race really heats up in January, starting with the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua, when points are awarded for all PGA Tour events.
2018 RYDER CUP STANDINGS
As of Oct. 30, 2017
1. Brooks Koepka: 3,404.658
2. Justin Thomas: 2,509.723
3. Jordan Spieth: 2,365.412
4. Dustin Johnson: 2,339.739
5. Matt Kuchar: 2,133.466
6. Brian Harman: 1,352.852
7. Rickie Fowler: 1,286.937
8. Patrick Reed: 1,144.244
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9. Bill Haas: 927.772
10. Charley Hoffman: 890.709
11. Zach Johnson: 877.254
12. Kevin Chappell: 651.087
BUILDING THE AMERICAN TEAM
First 8 Players: The United States points system determines the top eight players for the 2018 United States Ryder Cup team from January 1, 2017 to the conclusion of the PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club on Aug. 12, 2018.
Final Four Players: The four remaining slots on the U.S. Team will be Captain’s Selections. Three selections will be announced by Captain Furyk following the Dell Technologies Championship scheduled to be completed on Sept. 3, 2018, and the final selection will be announced after the BMW Championship, which is slated to be completed on Sept. 9, 2018.
Points are based upon the following:
2017 POINTS
- 1 point for every $1,000 earned in the four 2017 Major Championships (Masters Tournament, US Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship).
- 1 point for every $2,000 earned in the four 2017 WGCs (Mexico Championship, Dell Match Play, Bridgestone Invitational, and HSBC Champions) and THE PLAYERS Championship.
2018 POINTS
- Points awarded from 2018 Tournament of Champions (Jan. 7, 2018) through the PGA Championship (Aug. 12, 2018).
- 1 point for every $1,000 earned in “official” PGA Tour events, including WGCs, excluding opposite field events.
- 2 points for every $1,000 earned in the four 2018 Major Championships (Masters Tournament, US Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship).