Ryder Cup 2021 – Page 3 – Syndication Server

Why wasn’t ‘Captain America’ Patrick Reed selected for the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits?

Captain Steve Stricker said Reed took the bad news “like a true champion.”

[mm-video type=video id=01ff0ph12d6gnbqske5v playlist_id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01ff0ph12d6gnbqske5v/01ff0ph12d6gnbqske5v-5e830973929281ac8758fdef8999b91f.jpg]

Captain American won’t be picking up his shield to help Team USA defend home soil at Whistling Straits in two weeks.

On Wednesday morning U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker filled out the rest of his squad with his six captain’s picks, and Patrick Reed wasn’t one of them. Instead, Stricker went with four rookies – Daniel Berger, Harris English, Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler – alongside Tony Finau and Jordan Spieth, Reed’s former teammate that helped him earn the superhero nickname.

“That was a very, very difficult call, kind of lost sleep over that one,” Stricker said of leaving Reed off the roster while noting he was his first call. “He’s a tremendous competitor, he brings a lot to match play golf, his record here at the Ryder Cup is pretty darn good.”

“It was a very difficult call. It wasn’t an easy one,” Stricker continued. “But I think it was just the uncertainty, really, of his health. And really the lack of play that led to our decision.”

Ryder Cup: Meet Team USA | Meet Team Europe

Team. Complete.

With his Captain's Picks locked, @SteveStricker selects:

🇺🇸 @DanielBerger59
🇺🇸 @Harris_English
🇺🇸 @tonyfinaugolf
🇺🇸 @XSchauffele
🇺🇸 Scottie Scheffler
🇺🇸 @JordanSpieth pic.twitter.com/wFGR3bw8IH

— Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) September 8, 2021

Reed was 11th in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings after the conclusion of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs and the Tour Championship last week despite missing the first two playoff events due to a case of bilateral pneumonia that left him “battling” for his life.

In three past Ryder Cup appearances, Reed boasts an impressive 7-3-2 record, but after a breakup with Spieth in 2018’s shellacking at the hands of the Europeans in Paris following the duo’s 2-1-1 record in 2016, the nine-time winner on Tour unloaded on Spieth and captain Jim Furyk, causing many to question what his impact may be on the team room this year.

“He took it like a true champion, and I apologized many times to him and just wanted to make sure that he knew that it was a very difficult decision, and he handled it like a champion and really took it well,” Stricker said of the call. “Very disappointed, as you can imagine, but he said all the right things and handled it very well.”

[listicle id=778143675]

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker makes six captain’s picks for Whistling Straits

Meet Stricker’s six captain’s picks for the U.S. squad bound for Whistling Straits.

The captain has spoken and the American team for the 43^rd Ryder Cup is officially set.

Six players – Collin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay – had previously qualified for the team off the U.S. Ryder Cup points standings. On Wednesday morning U.S. captain Steve Stricker made his six captain’s picks for the biennial event against Europe to be held Sept. 24-26 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

Stricker’s picks feature a mix of both experience and youth, with four rookies making their Ryder Cup debut. The captain’s picks are as follows: Daniel Berger, Harris English, Tony Finau, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth.

Scheffler is the lowest-ranked player on the U.S. team, sitting 21st in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Ryder Cup: Meet Team Europe

[listicle id=778053253]

Jim Furyk dishes on his favorite Ryder Cup memories, Whistling Straits and more

The American Ryder Cup stalwart dishes on his favorite event in golf.

The excitement of team golf is in the air these days, especially after Team Europe’s recent win at the Solheim Cup at Inverness in Toledo, Ohio.

Next up? The 43rd Ryder Cup will feature a team of 12 men’s players from the United States taking on a team of 12 from Europe, Sept. 24-26, at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

Golfweek caught up with American Ryder Cup stalwart Jim Furyk, who will appear in his 11th event later this month, this time as a vice captain for Steve Stricker’s squad.

Furyk, a 17-time winner on the PGA Tour, dished on Whistling Straits as a host course and why he thinks its better as a match play venue than stroke play. He also expanded on his favorite Ryder Cup memories, most notably the wins.

“When these Ryder Cups are over for me when I’m no longer a vice captain … I’ll miss the camaraderie of the team and having everyone in the team room,” said Furyk.

Watch the complete interview above.

Staff picks: Who our experts think U.S. captain Steve Stricker will pick for the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits

Who do you think the six U.S. captain’s picks should be?

[mm-video type=video id=01fezgn2a9nb7fy07yqe playlist_id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fezgn2a9nb7fy07yqe/01fezgn2a9nb7fy07yqe-f89985ec8a74ed09f51c35add2ab3121.jpg]

Six players have already played their way onto the United States squad for the upcoming Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, Sept. 24-26. But what about the other six players?

U.S. captain Steve Stricker will make his six picks on Wednesday, but before he fills out the rest of the red, white and blue’s roster, Golfweek’s Steve DiMeglio, David Dusek and Adam Schupak got together to discuss who the remaining players will be.

Assuming Brooks Koepka, who withdrew midway through the Tour Championship with a wrist injury, and the rest of those who already qualified will be at Whistling Straits, here’s who our experts think will be picked.

Ryder Cup: Meet the first five qualifiers for Team Europe

DiMeglio

Tony Finau
Xander Schauffele
Jordan Spieth
Harris English
Daniel Berger
Patrick Reed

Schupak

Tony Finau
Xander Schauffele
Jordan Spieth
Daniel Berger
Kevin Kisner
Kevin Na

Dusek

Tony Finau
Xander Schauffele
Jordan Spieth
Harris English
Daniel Berger
Billy Horschel

Forward Press Podcast: Previewing the Team USA’s captain’s picks for Whistling Straits

The gang gathers together to discuss who the six U.S. Ryder Cup captain’s picks should be for Whistling Straits.

Welcome to episode 103 of Forward Press, a weekly podcast from Golfweek.

In this edition of the Forward Press Podcast, Golfweek’s Steve DiMeglio, David Dusek and Adam Schupak all got together to discuss who they think the six captain’s picks should be for Steve Stricker and the U.S. Ryder Cup team for Whistling Straits later this month.

Did you like what you heard? You can catch up on previous episodes of the Forward Press podcast here.

U.S. Ryder Cup Team’s Ralph Lauren 2021 lookbook was unveiled

This year marks the fourth Ryder Cup where Ralph Lauren will outfit Team USA.

Ralph Lauren is the official outfitter for the 2021 U.S. Ryder Cup team for the fourth year now. The team will be wearing a variety of pieces in red, white and blue colorways as they compete for the win at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

Ralph Lauren will outfit all players, caddies, spouses and partners. Vice Captain and long-time Ralph Lauren Golf Ambassador Davis Love III is very excited for the Ryder Cup to resume play this year in Ralph Lauren’s patriotic designs.

“The captains and players just want to play. It’s time,” said Love.

The Ralph Lauren Ryder Cup collection includes a capsule full of Polo Golf and RLX Golf apparel. All items of this collection are made with moisture-wicking properties and enhanced airflow in Ralph Lauren’s performance fabrics. The polos are designed to compliment any swing, and the pants are lightweight and flexible.

Davis Love III in 2021 Ryder Cup Apparel. (Photo: Ralph Lauren)

The company is very excited about their inclement-weather pieces which include sweaters, vests, wool jackets and packable down jackets. These pieces are curated to combat all weather collections that may come into play in Wisconsin.

Polo Ralph Lauren will serve as the tournament’s largest on-site apparel supplier with a large selection of merchandise from the brand available for the public to purchase. Having a piece of the Ryder Cup Collection is likw being a part of tournament history.

Love recalls spotting Tony Finau sporting his Ryder Cup jacket at the Atlanta airport months after the tournament. He also mentioned how often Patrick Reed wore the iconic pin-striped pant from the Ryder Cup’s previous collection in PGA Tour play.

“These pieces are meant to be worn time and time again, not just for one weekend out of the year,” said Love.

Ralph Lauren Tuesday through Sunday US Ryder Cup Team. (Ralph Lauren)

On day one of the tournament, players will be wearing the RLX Course Polo in a classic fit made out of 88% recycled polyester and 12% elastane. The Ryder Cup team logo will appear on the left chest, USA printed on the back shoulder and “United We Stand” printed on the back outside of the collar. This polo will be paired with the Cypress Pant which is a tailored fit made from 100% polyester. The color of the pant is French Navy and includes a French Navy pin stripe and embossed motif of the Ryder Cup shield and trophy. A French Navy vest will be an option for layering.

Friday play will take place in another RLX Course Polo in navy with red horizontal stripes. It will be paired with the Cypress Pant in French Navy. A French Navy with Golf Course Camo full zip jacket will be a layering piece.

On Saturday, the players will sport the Mesh Camoflauge Jacquard Polo in a classic fit. The polo is designed with a jacquard USA tipped knit collar with a three button unfinished English placket and collar stand. This polo will be complimented by a French Navy pin stripe Cypress Pant. A French Navy full zip jacket will complete Saturday’s look.

For Sunday, Team USA will be wearing the Air Tech Pique Polo. This polo has a French Navy collar with a red, white and blue color block design. Sunday’s wardrobe will include a French Navy flag Cypress Pant with an embossed motif of Ryder Cup shield and trophy. Players will be wearing a sweater customized with their name. This sweater is a made to order design where the public can get their own customized Ryder Cup Sweater in a few short weeks delivered to their doorstep.

[vertical-gallery id=778053321]

Meet half the team that will represent Team USA at the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits

Check out the six automatic qualifiers for Team USA at the upcoming Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits.

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker welcomed a half-dozen players to the Stars & Stripes fold Sunday night at the end of play at the BMW Championship. The tournament concluded the qualifying period for the U.S., with the top-six players in the points standings automatically earning a spot on the team that will face Europe, Sept. 24-26, at Whistling Straights in Wisconsin.

Five of the six – Collin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, and Justin Thomas – already were assured spots on the team before the BMW Championship began. The sixth spot was secured by Patrick Cantlay, who beat DeChambeau in a 6-hole playoff Sunday to win the BMW Championship.

“I love the six guys we have right now,” Stricker told Golfweek. “I love what I’m seeing, a lot of the guys playing well late in the season, a lot of guys in form right now.”

Stricker will round out his squad by making six discretionary selections following play in the upcoming week’s Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta.

On the other side of the pond, nine players – four off the European points list and five off the World points list – will automatically make the team at the conclusion of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth on Sept. 12. Europe captain Padraig Harrington will make three discretionary picks following the tournament.

Wisconsin native and Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker throws out the first pitch at a Brewers game in 2019 with a ball in one hand and the Ryder Cup in the other. (Photo: Michael McLoone/USA TODAY Sports)

On paper, Stricker’s automatics would make the U.S. the favorite, as all six are ranked in the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking; only Cantlay hasn’t won a major championship; and Johnson, Koepka and Thomas have reached No. 1 in the world.

In the air, the team could unload plenty of firepower on the massive course at Whistling Straits, as Johnson, DeChambeau, Koepka, Thomas and Cantlay are among the game’s longest players.

Closer to the ground, Morikawa is on the short list of the game’s best iron players, with Thomas in the discussion, as well. And the other four ain’t chopped liver.

On the experience side, only Morikawa and Cantlay have yet to play in the Ryder Cup.

Putting, on the other hand, doesn’t look to be a strength on paper. Then again, DeChambeau is in the top 35 on the PGA Tour in total putting and Cantlay just made 537 feet of putts to win the BMW Championship.

Stricker, who will go to The Tour Championship, said he will get together with the six automatics for input on the team the six captain’s picks and possible partnerships.

“I want to know what they are thinking,” Stricker said. “They’re out there living this every day and they know what’s going on and who’s playing well and who would be good fits as partners.

“I want to know where their heads are at.”

Get to know the players who will represent Team USA at the Ryder Cup.

Captain America Patrick Reed back home in Houston to continue recovery from battle with pneumonia

After withdrawing from the last two events, Reed is back in his Houston home recovering from pneumonia.

Patrick Reed is back home.

Reed returned to his Houston home this week after being released from a Houston area hospital where he was battling bilateral pneumonia. Reed had withdrawn from the Wyndham Championship and the Northern Trust in consecutive weeks.

“I’m doing well,” Reed said in a text message with Golfweek. “I’m at home recovering and looking forward to getting back out there real soon.”

Reed would not elaborate on a return to the PGA Tour and certainly doesn’t have a timetable in mind to return to golf. Instead, he is focused on his recovery.

“It’s great to be back home with the family, kids and Justine,” he wrote. “It makes the recovery process so much better. I’ve been focusing on my health and my family and Justine. You don’t realize how special you have it until something like this happens and I’m so happy just to be back recovering with them.

“I wish everyone a safe and healthy week and can’t wait to be back at it.”

Reed, ranked 18^th in the world, stands 26^th in the FedEx Cup standings. Only the top 30 in the standings following this week’s BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club in Maryland will move on to next week’s Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, the postseason finale.

Reed, the 2018 Masters champion who won the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year in San Diego, also is 10^th in the points race for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. The top 6 at the conclusion of the BMW Championship automatically make the team. Captain Steve Stricker will make six discretionary picks following The Tour Championship. Before being admitted to the hospital, Reed was definitely in the conversation to be a captain’s pick.

Reed has played in the 2014, 2016 and 2018 editions of the Ryder Cup.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=none image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Phil Mickelson doesn’t sound confident in his chances but he has one more week to impress Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker

“I have not played consistently week in and week out to earn a spot,” Mickelson said Tuesday.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Reigning PGA champion Phil Mickelson sounded resigned to the fact he would not be playing for the U.S. in next month’s Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

Mickelson has played in every Ryder Cup since making his debut in the biennial tussles between the U.S. and Europe in 1995. His experience and energetic ways in the team room would seemingly prove to be beneficial.

But if the member of the World Golf Hall of Fame who counts six majors on his resume is to extend the streak, he needs to impress U.S. captain Steve Stricker enough to be one of six discretionary selections that would round out the squad.

Stricker will make his six picks two days after next week’s Tour Championship concludes. Mickelson isn’t exactly holding his breath, for he knows he needs a drastic turn to the good with his form and right quick.

“I have not played consistently week in and week out to earn a spot,” Mickelson said Tuesday on the 10^th tee at Caves Valley Golf Club as he continued his prep for the BMW Championship with a practice round with Emiliano Grillo.

“There are better players, there are younger players,” Mickelson said. “And unless I were to win this week, or finish whatever I need to finish, like top 4 or top 5, to get into the Tour Championship and then win there, maybe I’d deserve a pick.

“Other than that, I haven’t played at the level consistently week in and week out to deserve a spot. I had one great week at the PGA.”

[vertical-gallery id=778059761]

That he did. At Kiawah Island, Mickelson became the oldest player to win a major as he held off Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen en route to winning his second Wanamaker Trophy to go with his three green jackets and Claret Jug.

But in 17 other starts in 2021, Mickelson, who is 19^th in the Ryder Cup standings, has missed seven cuts and posted zero top 10s. He hasn’t played anywhere near his world rank of 33^rd. But he has one more week, possibly two, to turn things around.

Mickelson was at Caves Valley on Monday with nary a worry on his mind. While he had missed the cut in last week’s Northern Trust at Liberty National Golf Club, Mickelson felt secure that his rank in the FedEx Cup standings would remain inside the top 70, the cutoff point for the BMW, and he was getting familiar with this rolling, massive layout.

Then things started happening up and down the leaderboard in the shadow of the Manhattan Skyline and Lady Liberty and his season moved into peril mode.

“I didn’t think it was going to be an issue,” Mickelson said. “Then we started to watch the last hour, half hour, and it became closer than I thought.”

It couldn’t have been any closer. While six players moved into the top 70 with solid weeks of play, Mickelson fell from 58^th to 70^th and qualified.

“I find the golf course terrific and I am appreciative for the opportunity to play and I really don’t have any to lose,” Mickelson said. “If I go out and have a really great week, I can get into next week. And, if not, I’ll have a few weeks off.”

[listicle id=778106179]

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker wants player feedback on his six captain’s picks

“I want this to be a team effort. I want everybody to be all in on who these six picks are going to be and make it a team, a true team deal.”

American Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker will have a unique task ahead of this year’s match in September at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

As a result of several tournaments being canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic last year, the U.S. changed its selection criteria by increasing Stricker’s captain’s picks from four to six players. Stricker doesn’t believe it’ll be more difficult to make two more picks than usual. Not only that, he wants the other six players who automatically qualified for the team to have a say.

“I don’t think it’s going to be more difficult at all,” Stricker said during his press conference ahead of this week’s 50th playing of the John Deere Classic, an event he’s won three times. “After the top six make the team, I plan on seeing these six players and getting their feedback to the next six that we’re going to pick. I want this to be a team effort. I want everybody to be all in on who these six picks are going to be and make it a team, a true team deal.

“That’s my plan going forward.”

Last June when the changes were announced, Stricker said it became apparent the selection criteria would need to be amended due to the various changes to the 2020 schedule that would impact a player’s ability to earn points for qualification.

[vertical-gallery id=778053321]

“After many deliberate discussions, we collectively agreed that a smaller sampling of 2020 events — including just one major championship — would justify a one-week extension of the qualification window and an increase in the number of captain’s selections from four to six,” Stricker said at the time. “These changes were sparked by circumstance but conceived with integrity in mind. In the end, we believe they will allow us to put our best team together to compete at Whistling Straits in September.”

The Wisconsin resident recently won the Senior Players on the PGA Tour Champions but is back competing on the PGA Tour this week and skipping another Champions Tour major, the U.S. Senior Open at Omaha Country Club in Nebraska. Sure, the 54-year-old is on a bit of a Ryder Cup scouting mission, but don’t get it twisted. He wouldn’t be playing if he didn’t think he could win.

“I’ve got great memories here that I can kind of fall back on. I’ll use those to my advantage,” said Stricker, noting his three-peat of wins from 2009-11. “I’ve been playing well lately, so hopefully I can keep that rolling.

“But again, it’s a tall order. But that’s why I’m here, to see if I can’t try to do it.”

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=none image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]