Here are the standings as of today:

1. Scottie Scheffler
2. Wyndham Clark
3. Brian Harman
4. Brooks Koepka
5. Xander Schauffele
6. Patrick Cantlay
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7. Max Homa
8. Cameron Young
9. Jordan Spieth
10. Keegan Bradley
11. Colin Morikawa
12. Sam Burns
13. Rickie Fowler
14. Justin Thomas


Other notables/LIV:

19. Tony Finau
39. Dustin Johnson
50. Bryson Dechambeau



I think Spieth, Homa,Young, and Morikawa are all locks for captains picks, which leaves 2 more. Who would you pick?

Head - Finau and Bradley
Heart - Finau and Fowler

He'll never get selected because we all know why, but Talor Gooch is currently #1 in the season standings on LIV and has 3 wins this year.

Agree Spieth, Homa, Young, Morikawa are locks.

So give me Rickie & DJ.

Having just watched Bryson shoot 58 in person... you know..

Pretty incredible feat but Marco Simone plays a lot different than Greenbrier. Wayward drives will be punished massively from what I have seen from videos highlighting the course. Don't think Bryson is a good course fit.

I seem to remember Bradley being a good RC player. And he's been playing well so I think I'd put him on the team. Even if he is a twitchy SOB.

I think Spieth, Homa, Young and Fowler are locks. Not sure about the final 2. Keegan is fiery so I could see him being a good fit. He would probably be my 11th guy. 12 is up in the air. Morikawa and Burns haven't played great in a while. JT has a great RC record but his year has been so bad. Not sure who I would go with for the final spot.

HeyAbbott said:

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Gooch missed the cut at the PGA and Open Championship. He has never had a top ten finish at a major.

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Burns missed the cut at pga and open
JT missed the cut at Open and US Open
Keegan missed the cut at the Open and US Open

I was simply stating an American player has won 3 times this season on his tour and leads that tour's points standings. Hell I didn't even say I'd choose him. Just tossed his name out.

Edit. 2nd statement too harsh.

Keegan isn't a good fit for the golf course in Rome plus Keegan's track record overseas is poor.

JT has won 2 majors plus a Players so that is night and day compared to Gooch.

JT is still a better choice for the Ryder Cup team than Gooch

I don't think Thomas should be on the team but he will be. I would go with:

Cam Young
Ricky
Morikawa
Homa
Spieth
Bradley/Finau

Like it or not, relationships and fit matter. No chance Gooch makes the team. Only way a LIV guy was making it is by forcing his way on like Brooks.

Brooks is deserving of being on the Ryder Cup team.

JCA1 said:

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HeyAbbott said:

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Brooks is deserving of being on the Ryder Cup team.

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Absolutely. My point was it is unlikely that a LIV guy would be a captain's pick unless the resume was overwhelming.

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Thankfully that should all be sorted out by the next RC and we can go back to selecting the best Americans.

My picks would be:

Max
Young
Spieth
Rickie
JT
DJ

DJ is well liked and while not a leader, he's a veteran that guys respect, plus having another LIV guy for Brooks would be my preference.

I absolutely think DJ should be on the team. I'd choose him over Bradley without question.

One of Rickie or JT will make the team, but I don't think there's room for both

how is Morikawa a lock? last time he went into a final round with a lead didn't he shoot like 80

I like Ricky and Keegan.

They've reverted back to the good ol boys club so JT will be picked to pair with Speith, regardless of current form. He's basically the American Sergio at this point. Couples basically said Speith, Young, and Homa were locks so count them too. Fowler is best buds with JT and Speith so he'll make it, but honestly his play is deserving so no issues with him. That really leaves one spot. Morikawa needs to show something I think. Keegan drives it straight and has completely turned his putting around. I think the last spot comes down to those 2 and how they do in the playoffs.

Bizarro Jerry said:

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Here are the standings as of today:

1. Scottie Scheffler
2. Wyndham Clark
3. Brian Harman
4. Brooks Koepka
5. Xander Schauffele
6. Patrick Cantlay
____________________

7. Max Homa
8. Cameron Young
9. Jordan Spieth
10. Keegan Bradley
11. Colin Morikawa
12. Sam Burns
13. Rickie Fowler
14. Justin Thomas


Other notables/LIV:

19. Tony Finau
39. Dustin Johnson
50. Bryson Dechambeau



I think Spieth, Homa,Young, and Morikawa are all locks for captains picks, which leaves 2 more. Who would you pick?

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I agree Homa and Spieth are locks. I am not completely sold on Young, but I think he makes the team. I think Rickie, DJ, and Morikawa are the last four in. Everyone loved DJ and they need another veteran on the team.

I'm just really curious to see what happens with JT. He's got a great pedigree. Major champion, successful Ryder Cup record and overall very successful. Lately, he's been terrible. MC's at, not only majors, but weak fielded tournaments. I'm not sure if I'm Zach Johnson, that I'd pick him and hope his game turns around DURING the Ryder Cup. If he's still in a funk, you're stuck with a wasted spot to plug and play.

I think Sam Burns plays well this week and gets himself higher on the radar. Rickie has earned a spot back. Morikawa is a no-brainer. Cam Young was in a similar spot as JT, but he's turned his game back on the last few weeks. Going to be very interesting to see it all pan out.

JT has been terrible. Have to leave him out. I'd probably take DJ

Of the top 6, Brooks is the only guy that has played a Ryder Cup on foreign soil.

It's likely this US team will have 10 rookies and/or guys playing in their first Ryder Cup overseas.

JT went 4-1 in 2018 (France) which I think helps his case even more.

The US team is loaded but with very little Ryder Cup experience. Granted, the US hasn't had much success in Ryder Cup's so maybe that's a good thing.

DJ went 5-0 in 2021

I think the experience angle gets was overblown. For years the Americans had tons of experienced guys but always lost. The whole point of getting more captains picks was you hopefully added guys who were hot and playing well now.

98Ag99Grad said:

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I think the experience angle gets was overblown. For years the Americans had tons of experienced guys but always lost. The whole point of getting more captains picks was you hopefully added guys who were hot and playing well now.

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Exactly. Picking JT seems to go against everything the extra captains picks were supposed to do.

JT might be 14th on standings but is moving the wrong direction. That's a two-year total. Vast majority of his points were from over a year ago. Almost half of his total points came from last year's PGA win. This year he has 3 missed cuts and 65th in the majors.

If Ryder standings were only compiled from the past twelve months, I'm not sure he cracks top 100. Seriously. Certainly not in the top 50.

Also, the top six are not set in stone. Guys like Bradley could move into mandatory pick category. Even somebody like Finau could launch into Top 6. And all of those guys could solidify themselves in mind of Zach Johnson.

The home team has dominated foursomes in the last four Ryder Cups. If I'm ZJ, I'm optimizing my selections for guys who can play foursomes well around Marco Simone.

One thing USA has this year that they didn't have in 2014 or 2018 is the Cantlay/Schauffele pairing. Say what you will about those two but they've proven to be able to alternate shot the sh*t out of any golf course. If I'm ZJ, I'm sitting them in Friday morning four ball and putting them out first in afternoon foursomes. Set the tone.

I think Morikawa should make the team for this reason. His iron play is a huge asset in alternate shot. USA found gold in 2021 pairing him with DJ (one of the best drivers in the world). Pair him with someone who can consistently get him down the fairway. Could even be Scottie.

It's a shame JT has struggled so badly because he and Spieth is another reliable foursomes pairing. But I think Spieth could pair with Rickie or Homa and be similarly successful. Either can tackle the tough long irons shots that JT typically handled in the Spieth/JT foursomes pairing.

So you've got Scottie, Clark, Brooks, Harman who are pretty much automatic. Cantlay and Xander will be there no matter what. Couples said Spieth, Young and Homa will be there. Morikawa should be there for foursomes. I don't think Rickie will be left out either. His advanced stats are too good this year. That's 11. If any of them is going to slip out, IMO it will be Young.

To me, spot 12 is up for grabs. I think Burns, Keegan and Finau have the best chance to emerge and snatch it over the next few weeks. The only scenario where I think JT has any chance is if none of them make any noise during the playoffs. Not likely.

Side note is that I love the idea of dedicating Brooks and Harman to four ball and sending them out first each morning, knowing they don't need to preserve energy for afternoon foursomes. A couple tough-minded lone wolf types who can focus on their own games.