The 42nd Ryder Cup Matches: US Captain's Picks
Part of the hype surrounding the Ryder Cup takes place off the course weeks before he first tee shot is struck. Months of speculation, rumors, and guessing lead up to the captain's picks which we find ourselves on the eve of.
Tomorrow evening (5:00PM EST0, Jim Furyk will make 3 of his 4 captain's picks for the United States Team. The 4th choice will come after the Tour Championship in Atlanta, Georgia. So let's get to it: who is Captain Furyk going to pick? This is Bogeys & Blue's prediction for the first three captain's selections:
1. Bryson DeChambeau
This is an absolute no-brainer. DeChambeau is a three-time winner on the PGA Tour in 2018. He has also won 2 of the first 4 FedEx Cup Playoff events and will head to the Tour Championship ranked No. 1 in the FedEx Cup rankings. When the US team began delaying their picks in 2008, their was an emphasis to find the "hottest" players playing the best golf. There is nobody playing golf better right now than DeChambeau and he'll be the first pick made by Furyk.
2. Tiger Woods
I have always believed that if Woods was anywhere near playing condition he was going to get the pick by Furyk. While Woods doesn't have a win this year on the PGA Tour, his 63 on Sunday at the PGA Championship likely cemented his spot on the team. The big question is whether Tiger can put it together with the flat stick. His driving has improved over the last month especially since making those changes to his shaft and loft. But the putter has been problematic all year long leading Woods to change out his putter three different times. Bottomline: Woods in the Ryder Cup makes a must-see sporting event even more spectacular.
3. Tony Finau
While the US is already loaded with young talent (Koepka, Thomas, Spieth, Reed, Johnson), there is always room to put new young blood on the roster to build for generations to come. Tony Finau is one of those talents. No Finau does not have a win this year on Tour, but he has played solid and consistent golf all year. He is 3rd in driving distance and 11th in strokes gained. He was a runner up last week to DeChambeau and was in contention again this week. He always seems to be up around the top of the leaderboards and as evidenced at the PGA Championship, can make a ton of birdies.
So that's who we think will be named tomorrow. After Furyk makes his announcement, we'll update this post to see if we got it right.
We thought Mickelson might be the fourth pick with Finau getting the pick a couple of weeks earlier. As a rookie, getting Finau comfortable with the idea of being part of the team. The Ryder Cup is an event unlike any other in golf and giving Finau a few weeks to digest it might have proven beneficial.
Mickelson has also been struggling of late (although his Sunday charge at the Dell Technologies Championship was a welcomed sight). We would have waited through The Tour Championship to see how Mickelson plays before making him a part of the team.
Last week, @NoLayingUp tweeted out that Matt Kuchar was under strong consideration to be a selection by Jim Furyk.
Tomorrow evening (5:00PM EST0, Jim Furyk will make 3 of his 4 captain's picks for the United States Team. The 4th choice will come after the Tour Championship in Atlanta, Georgia. So let's get to it: who is Captain Furyk going to pick? This is Bogeys & Blue's prediction for the first three captain's selections:
1. Bryson DeChambeau
2. Tiger Woods
3. Tony Finau
So that's who we think will be named tomorrow. After Furyk makes his announcement, we'll update this post to see if we got it right.
UPDATE
The first three picks are in and Bogeys & Blue predicted 2 of the 3. Tiger and DeChambeau are on the squad and joining them is veteran Phil Mickelson.We thought Mickelson might be the fourth pick with Finau getting the pick a couple of weeks earlier. As a rookie, getting Finau comfortable with the idea of being part of the team. The Ryder Cup is an event unlike any other in golf and giving Finau a few weeks to digest it might have proven beneficial.
Mickelson has also been struggling of late (although his Sunday charge at the Dell Technologies Championship was a welcomed sight). We would have waited through The Tour Championship to see how Mickelson plays before making him a part of the team.
Last week, @NoLayingUp tweeted out that Matt Kuchar was under strong consideration to be a selection by Jim Furyk.
Bryson knocking at the door again. Finau in the top-10 yet again.
It’s painfully obvious who the last two picks should be. Still some unsettling Kuchar rumors out there, but it just doesn’t add up. Bryson and Tony have earned it.
— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) September 3, 2018
Well tonight it was announced that Matt Kuchar would be joining the US Ryder Cup team: as an assistant captain. This likely means that the spot should go to Tony Finau - unless another American player like Kevin Kisner plays an outstanding couple of weeks in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Bryson knocking at the door again. Finau in the top-10 yet again.
It’s painfully obvious who the last two picks should be. Still some unsettling Kuchar rumors out there, but it just doesn’t add up. Bryson and Tony have earned it.
— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) September 3, 2018It’s painfully obvious who the last two picks should be. Still some unsettling Kuchar rumors out there, but it just doesn’t add up. Bryson and Tony have earned it.
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