You think we need one more?  Okay, we’ll get one more: Last Pick Remains for U.S. Ryder Cup Team 

Gregory Joss (September 4, 2018)

It was no surprise that Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Bryson DeChambeau received three of the four captain’s picks to the U.S. Ryder Cup team on Tuesday.  Team Captain Jim Furyk made the announcement at a less than compelling news conference, where Tiger, Phil, and Bryson joined their captain and answered questions from the media.

The picks were announced prior to the BMW Championship scheduled this week at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, PA.  With one pick remaining, Furyk will have to decide on a player that will compliment a team that is already being lauded as one of the strongest teams the U.S. has ever put together.  Team U.S.A., led by the top three players in the world in Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and Justin Thomas, will have the daunting task of retaining the cup by defeating the European team on foreign soil, a feat which has not been accomplished by the U.S. in  the last 25 years of competition.

The question remains: who will be Furyk’s fourth pick to help the U.S. take on strong European squad in France at the end of the month?  Though Furyk will not make his final pick until the conclusion of the BMW Championship, Tony Finau, with strong finishes at The Northern Trust and Dell Technologies Championship, appears to be the favorite.

Not only will Furyk need to pick a player with a hot hand, which Finau clearly has going into this weeks’ tournament, but also one that pairs well with the eleven players already holding spots.  While some of the pairings already seem to be a lock (Woods/DeChambeau for instance) others might not be so obvious.  For example, who will play well with Mickelson or Bubba Watson?  The U.S. has historically struggled in the  four-ball aspect of the Ryder Cup format, so selecting the right player, and not necessarily the best player, is paramount.

Many questions and unknowns still remain for this U.S. team.  The BMW Championship this week is an opportunity for someone to rise and challenge the sizzling Finau, who already seems to be the consensus fourth pick.  Strong players who sometimes go unnoticed, such as Kevin Kisner, Kyle Stanley, and Patrick Cantlay, with an impressive performance this week could leave Captain Furyk with a difficult choice before heading overseas.