The 2023 Ryder Cup is less than two months away, and the U.S. Team is looking to retain the cup after defeating Team Europe in 2021 at Whistling Straits by a score of 19-9 -- the largest margin of victory in the event since 1975.
This year's version will he hosted at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Italy, and the U.S. will be looking to win on European soil for the first time since 1993.
Six Americans automatically qualify via the U.S. Team Rankings. Those spots are currently reserved for:
The other six selections are captain's picks and will be announced by captain Zach Johnson following the TOUR Championship. Golfers will not accumulate any Ryder Cup points following next week's BMW Championship, although results from the TOUR Championship may factor into Johnson's selections.
The United States team elected to go with four captain's picks in 2016 and 2018 before expanding the number to six in 2021, and historically, captains haven't deviated much from the Ryder Cup standings. Of the six selections in 2021, only Scottie Scheffler (14th) ranked outside of the top 12. In 2018, Tony Finau (15th) was the only golfer among the four selections who fell outside the top 12. And finally, Ryan Moore made the team despite being 20th in the standings following a late-season win and a playoff loss in the TOUR Championship.
U.S. Team Captain's Pick Candidates
Current Standing: 7th
After the first playoff event, Homa moved into the top six while Schauffele dropped to seventh. While there could be more shuffling after the BMW Championship, Schauffele's place on the team seems locked in. Although he hasn't won this year, he posted eight top-10s and didn't finish worse than T18 in any of the four majors.
Current Standing: 8th
Spieth may not have sewn up an automatic spot, but his chances of making the team feel almost certain. He's been a fixture on U.S. teams since making the Presidents Cup in 2013 and his Ryder Cup debut the year after. Coming off a 5-0-0 Presidents Cup performance last year and having racked up five top-5s since March, it would be difficult to pass him over.
Current Standing: 9th
Young sits ninth in the U.S. Team Rankings, which would traditionally put him in a strong position to be selected. His play at times, though, leaves some question marks. He went through a stretch of seven tournaments this summer without recording a top-30 result, but he also recorded top-10s at The Masters and The Open. A loss in the final of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in March also bodes well for his chances of making the team, given the format. Young ranks third in driving distance, 10th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and third in birdie average this season, which all sets up well for fourball.
Current Standing: 10th
Morikawa made his Ryder Cup debut at Whistling Straits and didn't lose a match, going 3-0-1. Like Young, he struggled this summer, going six consecutive tournaments without a top-25 before losing in a playoff at the Rocket Mortgage Classic last month. Morikawa is second in SG: Approach this season, making him a great player to have in foursomes -- also known as alternate shot.
Current Standing: 11th
Bradley has one of the more interesting resumes among the potential captain's picks, winning twice this season and also posting a runner-up in a designated event at Torrey Pines. He made his Ryder Cup debut in 2012, going 4-1-0 at Medinah, but he hasn't played in the event since 2014. Bradley's results have been feast-or-famine, so the lack of consistency hurts his case.
Current Standing: 12th
Burns has a couple things going for him, as he occupies a top-12 spot in the standings and won the Match Play event back in March. He made his team debut in the Presidents Cup last year but went 0-3-2. Considering his last top-10 came in May and his 52nd-place finish in the opening playoff event, his chances of making the team seem minimal unless he goes out and wins one of the final two events.
Current Standing: 13th
Although Fowler sits 13th in the standings, his place on the team is in good shape. It has been a resurgent season for Fowler, who snapped a winless drought of over four years and was as consistent as you could be, with eight top-10s and only two missed cuts.
Current Standing: 14th
At the beginning of the year, it would have been hard to fathom the thought of Thomas not being on the team. After all, he owns a 6-2-1 Ryder Cup record and 16-5-3 mark when you include the Presidents Cup. From a leadership perspective, it's difficult to leave Thomas off the team with the passion and energy he provides -- not to mention his 8-1-3 team record with Spieth. However, Thomas had a season to forget, managing only three top-10s in 18 events and missing the FedExCup Playoffs.
Current Standing: 16th
If Johnson wants to go with the hot hand, there's nobody with more momentum than Glover, who has now won back-to-back tournaments. Glover's turnaround was unforeseen, but he has now finished T6 or better five times in six starts -- all after missing 10-of-16 cuts to start the year. His newfound success with the putter coupled with his excellent ball striking has formed quite the combination. Glover ranks seventh in driving accuracy this season, and positional golf tends to be a key factor on European tracks.
Current Standing: 21st
Finau has a similar resume to Bradley -- two wins on the season but also a stretch of mediocrity at best. A run of six tournaments with a best finish of T32 this summer has to leave doubts in Johnson's mind. Pending a strong showing over the last two weeks, it feels like Finau is on the outside looking in.
Current Standing: 53rd
It will be interesting to see if a LIV golfer is selected as a captain's pick, as Johnson may not want to disrupt the team dynamics given the tension surrounding the two leagues. Talor Gooch -- with three LIV wins on the year -- and Dustin Johnson -- a 5-0-0 record at the last Ryder Cup -- can make a strong case, but DeChambeau is probably the most likely of the group to be chosen. His win at The Greenbrier -- in which he closed with rounds of 61 and a 58 -- put him firmly in the discussion, although the momentum slowed with a T18 at Bedminster last week. He also had a runner-up at Valderrama, and his top-5 finish at the PGA Championship shows that his success isn't tied strictly to LIV. His standing in the rankings would typically eliminate him from consideration, but you have to think those are being ignored for LIV golfers without the LIV results being factored in.
U.S. Team Captain's Pick Predictions
- Schauffele
- Spieth
- Young
- Morikawa
- Fowler
- Glover
