Roster rundown: A closer look at the United States Ryder Cup team
A closer look at the U.S. squad for the 2014 Ryder Cup, to be played Sept. 26-28 at Gleneagles in Perthshire, Scotland:
BUBBA WATSON
Age: 35
2014 PGA Tour highlights: 19 starts, two wins (Northern Trust, Masters), seven top 10s
Ryder Cup experience: 3-5 record in two appearances
Buzz: Watson started the season off strong with two wins, including his second Masters triumph, and three other top 3s before June. But he’s cooled off this summer, with no finishes better than T-16 since missing the cut at the U.S. Open.
RICKIE FOWLER
Age: 25
2014 PGA Tour highlights: 24 starts, eight top 10s, including two-runner-up finishes (U.S. Open, Open Championship)
Ryder Cup experience: 0-1-2 record in one appearance
Buzz: Fowler has been stellar in the majors this year, with top-five finishes in each of them this season. He also has a pair of top 10s in WGC events and a T-9 at The Barclays, too, so he knows how to step up on the biggest of stages.
JIM FURYK
Age: 44
2014 PGA Tour highlights: 19 starts, nine top 10s, including three runner-up finishes
Ryder Cup experience: 9-17-4 record in eight appearances
The U.S. team enters the Ryder Cup as an underdog.
Buzz: There are few players hotter than Furyk right now. He hasn’t won, but he has four finishes of fourth or better since May and has finished worse than T-19 just twice in his last 14 starts.
Age: 35
2014 PGA Tour highlights: 25 starts, three wins, 10 top 10s
Ryder Cup experience: making first appearance
Buzz: Walker won three times in his first nine starts this season, and although he hasn’t won again, he still has 11 top 25s in his last 17 starts. He was T-9 at the Deutsche Bank.
PHIL MICKELSON
Age: 44
2014 PGA Tour highlights: 20 starts, one top 10
Ryder Cup experience: 14-18-6 record in nine appearances
Buzz: No top 10s all season until the PGA Championship. But Lefty, last year’s Open Championship winner, used a runner-up finish at Valhalla to automatically make Tom Watson’s squad – of course, he would’ve been a captain’s pick anyways.
MATT KUCHAR
Phil Mickelson is probably the biggest name on captain Tom Watson's U.S. team.
Age: 36
2014 PGA Tour highlights: 22 starts, one win, 11 top 10s
Ryder Cup experience: 3-2-2 record in two appearances
Buzz: A back injury forced Kuchar to pull out at Valhalla before his first-round tee time. When healthy, though, Kuchar is one of the most consistent players in the game with just two missed cuts and 11 top 10s this season.
JORDAN SPIETH
Age: 21
2014 PGA Tour highlights: 25 starts, seven top 10s, including two runner-up finishes
Ryder Cup experience: making first appearance
Buzz: The kid earned a spot on the Presidents Cup team last fall and now gets his first Ryder Cup nod. He has just one top 10 since The Players and missed the cut at Valhalla, but did make the cut and crack the top 30 in each of the first two playoff events.
Age: 24
2014 PGA Tour highlights: 26 starts, two wins (Humana, WGC-Cadillac), four top 10s
Ryder Cup experience: making first appearance
Buzz: Reed had two wins by early March, but has been reeling ever since. He has six missed cuts and just two top-10 finishes in 16 starts since winning at Doral. But he did tie for ninth at The Barclays.
Age: 38
2014 PGA Tour highlights: 24 starts, one win (Hyundai), five top 10s
Ryder Cup experience: 6-4-1 record in three appearances
Buzz: Johnson was runner-up at the John Deere in July, but since April he has no other finishes better than T-14. He’s a short hitter, but has Ryder Cup experience.
Age: 28
2014 PGA Tour highlights: 25 starts, no wins, six top 10s
Ryder Cup experience: 3-1 record in one appearance
Buzz: Hits it long, hits it pretty straight, and was a force with Phil Mickelson at Medinah. Hasn’t been so hot with the putter of late, but really, is there any player who wants to get to Gleneagles more than he does?
Age: 32
2014 PGA Tour highlights: 23 starts, one win (Deutsche Bank), six top 10s
Ryder Cup experience: 3-2-3 in two appearances
Buzz: Watson wanted form, and Mahan jumped in and showed it with a big victory at Barclays to open the playoffs. He has experience in both cups (Ryder and Presidents), hits a lot of greens and is a good putter.
Age: 29
2014 PGA Tour highlights: 23 starts, one win (Shriners), nine top 10s
Ryder Cup experience: 2-2 record in one appearance
Buzz: He won the season-opening event last fall, has nine top 10s, $3.3 million in earnings, and has had some good showings of late (three top 9s since Greenbrier). Very good putter, good scrambler, and a man who can partner with Bubba Watson, which won’t be the captain’s easiest assignment.
