OWING MILLS, MARYLAND | In answering six questions about the United States Ryder Cup team – Collin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay officially qualified Sunday – another six remain unanswered.
Cantlay turned in a spot-securing performance Sunday in winning the BMW Championship with a torrid putter, knocking playoff-opening Northern Trust winner Tony Finau out of an automatic berth.
Captain Steve Stricker (above) has until Sept. 8 to decide who will fill out the American roster for the late September matches at Whistling Straits.
In having more leeway with his own picks than any previous captain, Stricker now faces the challenge of sorting through his options.
Perhaps it’s less complicated than it sounds.
It’s fair to assume that Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Finau and likely two-time winner Harris English will be added to the squad based on their respective bodies of work this season.
That would leave Stricker with two open spots and a plethora of potential choices.
One immediate question:
What is Patrick Reed’s status?
He was hospitalized last week with bilateral pneumonia and, if Stricker wants to add him to the team, will Reed’s health be good enough that he can play at Whistling Straits?
Reed qualified to play in the Tour Championship this week in Atlanta but hasn’t given an indication if he will be there, which could factor into whether he makes it to Whistling Straits or not.
Who else is in the mix?
Daniel Berger, Webb Simpson, Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns are the most likely candidates to get a call from Stricker asking them to help win the Cup back on home soil.
Stricker has kept his thoughts private, though he’s had phone conversations with most of the automatic qualifiers, gauging their thoughts on who they would prefer to play with and who might bring something extra to the team.
Reed’s advantage, if he’s healthy, is his tenacity and success in previous Ryder Cups. Simpson was one of three Americans with a winning record in the 2018 loss in France. Berger brings consistency, while Scheffler and Burns have emerged as new young stars who seem to thrive on big stages.
Ron Green Jr.