Presidents Cup captain Tiger Woods will need to make some tough choices when he makes his picks in November with his Team USA top 8 now locked in.
Rookies Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Cantlay make up a trio debutants who join Matt Kuchar, Webb Simpson, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka in the automatic spots for December’s battle against the Internationals.
‘These guys have earned it. They’ve proven that they belong on the team,’ said Woods. ‘You’ve got some veterans, whether it’s Webby, Kuch or Dustin, who have been part of the teams for a very long time, and we have some newcomers. We have a nice mix.
‘It’s a younger team, and that’s what we want to see. We want to see a little turnover and get the younger guys playing on these teams because they’re going to be a part of it for a very long time going forward. Really, I can’t wait to get some of these young guys down to Royal Melbourne to experience golf in the Sandbelt Region and get to experience how much the fans love and appreciate sports and golf in that area of the world.’
Woods will be allowed four selections in the week of 4 November but who will he opt for?
Tony Finau, US Open winner Gary Woodland, Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed occupied the next qualifying spots with Woods himself in 13th.
Kevin Kisner (15), Phil Mickelson (16), Bubba Watson (20) and Jordan Spieth (27) are also in the mix.
Impressive rookies Collin Morikawa and Matthew Wolff have both won since joining the tour and could yet be surprise options.
