Now that three quarters of the suspense is over, with Davis Love’s selection of Rickie Fowler, J.B. Holmes, and Matt Kuchar to fill spots 9-11 on the Ryder Cup team, the speculation begins on who will be his final pick.
Bubba Watson would seem to lead the list, having finished 9th in the points standings, but Love has said he wants someone who will fit in with his team, so Bubba’s prickly personality makes him a questionable risk as does his recent form (no Top 10s on the Tour since March).
Mr. 58 Jim Furyk heads the list of alternatives. Although his Ryder Cup record of 4-5-2 is less than impressive, he’s the ultimate grinder and this year finished 15th on the points list despite a wrist injury that delayed his start until May. A dark horse is Mr. Unflappable, Jason Dufner. He’s won this year—something neither Fowler or Kuchar has done—and in his last Ryder Cup (2012) went 3-1.
After that, Love’s best option might be to go with a surprise pick from a trio of rookies—Daniel Berger, Kevin Kisner, and Justin Thomas. All three have won on Tour this year and are in the Tour Championship field at East Lake next week. If one of them should pull off a victory there, it could well bring him the final Ryder Cup berth.
