I don’t know about you, but I am more excited about the upcoming Ryder Cup than any Ryder Cup in the past. The eight USA automatic qualifiers were recently revealed, and the team looks incredibly tough.
The names at the top of the USA team each have a legitimate claim to be the top-ranked player in the world. Dustin Johnson leads the team, and he has been at the top of the world ranking for quite some time now.
When he’s on, he looks unbeatable.
Next on the team comes Justin Thomas. Thomas’ name seems to pop up near the leaderboard of every big tournament. He’s not a flashy player, but he is as good as they come nowadays.
At this point, we might as well add a guy by the name of Brooks Koepka. He must be pretty decent, right? After all, he’s only won three of the past seven majors. This guy lives for moments like the Ryder Cup. He’s a big-time player with a big-time game.
How about Jordan Spieth? He has suddenly become one of the average players on Team USA.
It wasn’t that long ago that he was THE guy to beat in golf. He may have fallen back recently, but don’t be surprised if he soon re-emerges as the top player in the game.
Also, let’s not forget about Captain America — You know, Patrick Reed?
This guy has become the stud of the past two Ryder Cup teams. He’s lost only one match and brings the fire to the team that you typically only see out of some of the European players.
Reed also enjoys being the bad guy, and he will be a beast in France.
Rounding out the eight qualifiers are Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson. Fowler is so good, yet he and Watson are almost an afterthought on this team. Simpson, on the other hand, surprised me by being an automatic qualifier for the team. He’s quietly had a very good season, and it’s good to see him back near the top.
Recently, Captain Jim Furyk selected Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods to join the Team USA.
Before he picked, I had chosen Woods, Mickelson, DeChambeau and Kevin Kisner to be good choices.
Unfortunately, I know this leaves a guy like Tony Finau off the team. Woods and DeChambeau were locks. Mickelson perhaps made the team based on his experience and the confidence that his buddy Furyk likely has in him.
I would finish the team by picking Kisner. He hits it straight, he is a great putter and he is fiery as heck.
Who would you pick?