The first eight members of the 2018 U.S. Ryder Cup team were recently solidified on points at the end of the PGA Championship.
They are Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and THE PLAYERS Championship winner Webb Simpson, listed in order of points. Four members of the team so far — Koepka, Watson, Thomas, and Spieth — have played the site of the tournament, Le Golf National, and know what to expect.
“I'm excited, and I know these eight players are excited as well,” said Ryder Cup Captain Jim Furyk, a Ponte Vedra Beach resident. “I've been waiting 18 months to get a touch, to get a feel for who our qualifiers would be.”
The team will eventually have 12 members. The remaining four will be selected by Furyk in upcoming weeks. On Sept. 4, he will make his first three picks, and on Sept. 10, he will decide the final player to make the team. The Ryder Cup is Sept. 25-30.
On the minds of most Ryder Cup fans is will Furyk pick Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to round out the team. Furyk was non-committal on that subject.
“Going through the list, you know, Webb Simpson, I'm sure had a tough week,” Furyk said. “It's always tough to be that No. 8 spot. I've been close to that 7 or 8 before. It can be a little sleepless. You look at a guy here that's won THE PLAYERS Championship, and when I was trying to pick out golf courses on our tour that were similar to Le Golf National, TPC at Sawgrass was one of those. He was a runaway winner there at THE PLAYERS, and I think the golf course really suits his game well.”
As of now, Furyk has one Ryder Cup rookie, Justin Thomas. Though he’s a Ryder Cup rookie, Thomas is hardly a PGA Tour rookie any longer, having won the 2017 PGA Championship and four other events that season.
“PGA champion last year, PGA Tour Player of the Year, this guy's got a lot of experience,” Furyk said. “Loved to watch him in the Presidents Cup last year. And more than anything, he's a great kid, but I love the way this guy plays the game. He plays it the right way and fun to watch.”
Koepka, who led in points, sat out The Masters with a wrist injury that nearly sidelined him for THE PLAYERS Championship.
“I mean, this guy started out the year injured,” Furyk said about Koepka. “So, as a captain, I'm scratching my head, and I'm worried, you know, how can you not have Brooks Koepka come to Europe with you?”
Koepka played his college golf at Florida State but failed to get through PGA Tour Q-School. Instead, Koepka went to Europe to hone his skills where he won four times on their Challenge Tour and once on the European Tour before making his way back to the U.S.
“He talked to me about making this team, and I know his No. 1 goal this year was to get healthy,” Furyk added. “Fierce competitor. He carries himself with a swagger that everyone talks about. Love having him on the team.”
Watson has three victories this season, but in 2016, he failed to make the team.
“What a great story,” Furyk noted. “He was ninth in Ryder Cup points, left off the team, and the first thing he asks Davis Love, ‘Can I be a vice-captain? I know you have an extra spot, and I want to help this team in any way I possibly can.’ I thought it was a touch of class. I think he gained a lot of respect from his teammates, and I also know how much game this guy has and came back and won three times this year.”
Johnson also has three victories this season, starting at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and adding two more over the summer.
“I played alongside him as a partner in his first Ryder Cup,” Furyk said about Johnson. “He really loves the team atmosphere. He loves hanging with the guys. He loves being a part of it. And when one of your most talented players is a leader in that respect and loves that team atmosphere, it's a feather in a captain's cap.”
Reed is this season’s Master’s champ and the last Ryder Cup’s star with a 4-0-1 record in 2016. Reed and his partner Spieth have never lost a Ryder Cup match although they have tied two. Reed is undefeated in singles play.
“This guy's been a bulldog,” Furyk said. “I mean, a bulldog for us in 2014 and 2016. He's fierce. When you talk about going into a crowd that is going to be loud and boisterous, I feel like the bigger the challenge, the louder the crowd, the more attention you need to pay to Patrick Reed. He loves that atmosphere. I guess I'm proud to be the United States captain, but Patrick Reed's been Captain America for the last two Ryder Cups. So happy to have him.”
And finally, Fowler and Spieth are two very popular players to make the team on points.
“I think Rickie's biggest strength is he has no weaknesses,” Furyk said. "He's a very well-rounded player, well liked in the team room. He's an easy guy for any captain to pair. He can go with a number of different players. He's a huge asset to the team.”
And that leaves Spieth, who of all the team members, has had the worst season, but Furyk is not worried about him.
“When Jordan speaks, everyone listens, and he has something to say, whether that's kicking everyone in the rear end, whether that's kind of being the calm in the middle of the storm,” Furyk explained noting Spieth’s maturity. “Jordan is one of those guys that is wise beyond his years. He's very mature. He's a leader at a young age.”
Furyk’s next challenge is to make his final four picks. The next four PGA Tour players on the Ryder Cup points list are Bryson DeChambeau, Mickelson, Woods and Xander Schauffele, who won last season’s Tour Championship. Matt Kuchar is in 13th place.
“We're trying to identify the four players that fit with these eight,” Furyk said. “So, when I look at my captain's picks, I'll be looking at guys that have had a great body of work this year, guys that are playing well and maybe hot players at the time. I'm looking at pairings. I'm looking at who fits in well with these eight players.
“I'm also looking at the golf course,” Furyk added. “I mean, Le Golf National is a wonderful golf course, in my opinion, but it suits a certain style of player, and I'll be looking at that.”
