Who has qualified and the wildcard contenders explained
The US team to contest next month’s Ryder Cup in Rome is taking shape with six players now automatically qualified.
Six more face an anxious week as skipper Zach Johnson makes his choices before announcing his line-up at the conclusion of the FedEx Cup on Sunday.
The six already on the plane are led by world No 1 Scottie Scheffler, US Open winner Wyndham Clark and Open Champion Brian Harman, plus Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa and Xander Schauffele, who leapfrogged PGA Champion Brooks Koepka on Sunday to seal the final qualifying spot at the BMW Championship.
Koepka is now reliant on a phone call from Johnson to make the team for Rome. Koepka, runner-up at the Masters as well as his subsequent win at the second major of the season, would have been assured of his place automatically had he not been denied points by the exclusion of the LIV Golf League from the rankings system.
Another contender from LIV Golf is Bryson DeChambeau, who marked his return to form this year with a fifth-place finish behind Koepka at the PGA Championship before posting the fourth 58 in professional golf three weeks ago en route to victory at Greenbrier.
However, should the attitude of US Ryder Cup veteran Jim Furyk, who shot the third 58 in history, be shared by Johnson, DeChambeau might not have moved the needle enough.
“There’s a big difference,” Furyk said when asked to comment of DeChambeau’s score, “mine actually counted.”
Clearly the ruptures visited on the game by the incursion of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League have yet to heal despite the proposed takeover of the major tours in America and Europe by the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund.
Schauffele, who made his Ryder Cup debut in the Americans’ crushing victory two years ago, offered perspective on how those in limbo might be feeling this week.
“You don’t really want to sit around and wait for the phone call,” he said. “Been on both sides of it, for a Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup team. I can’t remember which one was a pick, which one was not.
“But I remember getting a call saying no and a call saying yes. It’s nice to automatically qualify.”
Who has qualified for the Ryder Cup?
Q = Qualified. Players in bold are currently in line to play.
Europe
Three players from the European points list qualify, followed by the top three on the world points list not already qualified.
European points list
- 1st Rory McIlroy Q (4,033.5)
- 2nd Jon Rahm Q (3,417.23)
- 3rd Robert MacIntyre (1,743.57)
- 4th Yannik Paul (1,652.9)
- 5th Adrian Meronk (1614.21)
World points list
- 1st Rory McIlroy (399.29)
- 2nd Jon Rahm (392.72)
- 3rd Viktor Hovland Q (321.67)
- 4th Tyrrell Hatton (199.17)
- 5th Tommy Fleetwood (180.52)
USA
The top six players in the American rankings qualify
- 1st Scottie Scheffler Q (27,617.735)
- 2nd Wyndham Clark Q (13,738.920)
- 3rd Brian Harman Q (11,100.539)
- 4th Patrick Cantlay Q (10,946.750)
- 5th Max Homa Q (9,638.764)
- 6th Xander Schauffele Q (9,450.269)
Who are the wildcard contenders?
Since Clark, Harman and Homa are rookies and none of those automatically qualified have contested a Ryder Cup in Europe, Johnson is expected to fill the squad with experienced players. Koepka, who finished seventh in the final qualifying table and eighth-placed Jordan Spieth are obvious picks.
Others with a strong case are Rickie Fowler, who won for the first time in four years at last month’s Rocket Mortgage Challenge, and Keegan Bradley and Tony Finau, both two-time winners this year. Lucas Glover, aiming to break through at 43, made his case with back-to-back victories this month at the Wyndham Championship and St Jude Championship.
That leaves double major winners Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas, not to mention LIV exiles Dustin Johnson and DeChambeau, all part of the record hammering handed out to Europe in 2021, outside the magic number, hoping that class carries more weight than form in Johnson’s considerations.
European skipper Luke Donald will announce his team a week later following the Omega European Masters on 3 September. Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland, winner of the FedEx Cup’s BMW Championship on Sunday, are already guaranteed a place via the qualifying mechanism with the remaining three automatic places presently occupied by Robert MacIntyre, Tyrrell Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood.
