With the PGA Championship at Bellerive in the books, the first eight spots for the 2018 U.S. Ryder Cup team have been finalized.
Four players arrived in St. Louis having already locked up spots for the matches in Paris: Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, and Patrick Reed.
Bubba Watson entered as No. 5 and missed the cut but aided by three 2018 victories, he was a virtual shoo in, as was Jordan Spieth who finished T12, and No. 6.
Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson held onto the final two spots as the two closest competitors, Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson, both missed the cut.
THE 8 QUALIFIERS
:
1. Brooks Koepka
2. Dustin Johnson
3. Justin Thomas
4. Patrick Reed
5. Bubba Watson
6. Jordan Spieth
7. Rickie Fowler
8. Webb Simpson
———————————
9. Bryson DeChambeau
10. Phil Mickelson
11. Xander Schauffele
12. Matt Kuchar
13. Tony Finau
14. Kyle Stanley
15. Kevin Kisner
Furyk now has to make the final four picks, with three of those players due after the Dell Technologies Championship – the second round of the FedExCup Playoffs, with the final picks coming a week later after the BMW.
Furyk’s job will not be easy, as the pool to select from is deep. Woods is a lock, and Mickelson is said to be too, so that leaves two wild cards. Players to be considered include: Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele, Tony Finau, Matt Kuchar, Kevin Kisner, and Zach Johnson.
The big debate could come down to how much Furyk values Ryder Cup/Presidents Cup experience, particularly in the cases of DeChambeau and Schauffele. DeChambeau also has the stigma of being seen as something of a lone wolf, and it is possible that Furyk could question how much the talented 24-year-old would mesh with the rest of the team. Would he prefer a veteran like Kuchar, Kisner, or Johnson? It will be interesting to watch.
