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With the Ryder Cup just days away, it’s time to start making projections for the big event.
The 2015-16 PGA Tour season has finally come to a close, but our weekly power rankings features are still going strong. In fact, one of the marquee events in all of golf is just around the corner. This week, we’ll rank the 24 golfers set to compete in the Ryder Cup — the Americans today, the Europeans tomorrow.
Not that they ever are, but the rankings for this week won’t be an exact science. With its team match play format, the Ryder Cup is a far cry from most conventional events — not only does the scoring format change, but players can potentially be carried or hindered by their teammates. This makes the Ryder Cup a nightmare to project, but let’s do it anyway!
This week’s course, Hazeltine National Golf Club, should provide a worthy stage for this battle of the continents. The track measures in at a whopping 7,678 yards, so Davis Love III may end up kicking himself for leaving Bubba Watson off the team. It’s hosted a pair of relatively recent PGA Championships, in 2002 and 2009.
With all that said, let’s get to ranking the Americans. These 12 players have been ranked according to their likelihood of delivering at Hazeltine. Without further ado, let’s dive on in.
Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
World No. 2 Dustin Johnson will likely be one of Team USA’s biggest contributors this week.
1
Dustin Johnson
No. 2, Nine top 10s in last 11 starts
Despite a final round collapse at the Tour Championship, Johnson is in the best form of any American player by a country mile. The 12-time PGA Tour winner rides a wave of three consecutive top 10s into this week, including a victory at the BMW Championship, and he’s missed out on the top 20 on just one occasion over the last four months. His length off the tee should help him navigate Hazeltine — it certainly came in handy at the 2009 PGA Championship, where he tied for 10th. He’ll be relied on as an on-course leader this week.Next: Patrick Reed
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While he stumbled at East Lake, Patrick Reed’s form is strong on the whole.
2
Patrick Reed
No. 8, Ten consecutive top 25s
After playing so consistently for an extended period, Reed’s tie for 24th at the Tour Championship wasn’t an ideal result. However, the Augusta State product has never finished among the top half of the field at East Lake, suggesting an incompatibility with the course rather than a downturn in form. That’s good news for Team USA — with ten consecutive top 25s entering this week, he should be one of their biggest weapons. Equipped with a natural demeanor for match play, Reed put on a show in his Ryder Cup debut two years ago, going undefeated and picking up three wins for the stars and stripes.Next: Jordan Spieth
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Armed with one of the game’s deadliest putting strokes, Jordan Spieth should present a challenge to the Europeans with every match he plays.
3
Jordan Spieth
No. 4, Six top 25s in last seven starts
Much has been made of Spieth’s relatively tame follow-up to his monster 2015 season, but the Texan is hitting it just fine as he prepares to make his second Ryder Cup appearance. He just completed a strong run through the FedEx Cup playoffs, reeling off three consecutive top 25s before regressing to a tie for 17th at the Tour Championship, which featured just 29 others. Despite a busy schedule, he should be ready to do some heavy lifting for Team USA. His signature putting stroke has looked steady enough in recent weeks.Next: Matt Kuchar
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One of Davis Love III’s four captain’s picks, Matt Kuchar’s steady form should help him to a strong performance this week.
4
Matt Kuchar
No. 17, Four top 20s in last six starts
September was an up-and-down month for this Georgia Tech product, but he appears to have snapped back into form just in the nick of time. After being shut out of the top 45 in the first two playoff events, Kuchar tied for fourth at the BMW Championship and for 15th at the Tour Championship. No one’s going to mistake that for a bona fide hot streak, but he’s notched enough good scores to inspire some optimism heading into this week. With a record of 4-5-2 in three previous Ryder Cup appearances, he’ll be among the most experienced Americans at Hazeltine.Next: Phil Mickelson
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With more than twice as many Ryder Cup appearances as anyone else on the team, Phil Mickelson definitely has the experience to deliver a big-time performance at Hazeltine.
5
Phil Mickelson
No. 15, Ten previous Ryder Cup appearances
After qualifying for the Tour Championship for the first time in three years, Mickelson was an also-ran at East Lake, ending up in 22nd place. Still, the week wasn’t without its positives — Lefty closed with a 66 on Sunday, perhaps foreshadowing a strong Ryder Cup performance. Throw in a tie for 13th at The Barclays and a tie for 24th at the BMW Championship, and there’s plenty to like about the veteran this week. While his Ryder Cup legend is focused more on his experience and longevity than his play, he’s posted a winning record in each of the last two meetings.Next: Ryan Moore
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Thanks to a superb Sunday at the Tour Championship, Ryan Moore will arrive at Hazeltine with plenty of momentum.
6
Ryan Moore
No. 31, Three top 10s in last four starts
A late addition to the roster, Moore just might end up being Team USA’s secret weapon this week. The Washington native has never competed in a Presidents or Ryder Cup, nor has he contended at a major. However, the 2004 U.S. Amateur champ does have some match play experience to his name, and he showed a surprising amount of nerve going up against Rory McIlroy in sudden death at East Lake. With three top 10s in his last four starts, including a tie for second at the Tour Championship, Moore is red-hot and should be chomping at the bit to make some birdies.Next: Brandt Snedeker
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Coming off a solid run through the playoffs, Brandt Snedeker will look to improve on his Ryder Cup performance from four years ago.
7
Brandt Snedeker
No. 23, Three top 20s in last five starts
He pulled off an incredible victory at a waterlogged Torrey Pines in January, but Snedeker has had an otherwise low-key season — his only other chance to win came at the Wyndham Championship in August. Still, he’s been solid and consistent, finding the top 25 in seven of his last 11 starts. Always a strong putter, Snedeker has looked good enough with his flatstick over the past few weeks, and he ranks among the PGA Tour leaders in birdie average. He’ll try to rebound from his Ryder Cup performance in 2012, when he went 1-2.Next: Jimmy Walker
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He finished close to dead last at the Tour Championship, but Jimmy Walker’s other recent results have been strong.
8
Jimmy Walker
No. 16, Two top 15s in last three starts
There’s no getting around it — Walker put on a bad performance at the Tour Championship. The Baylor product failed to break 70 until the final round, stumbling his way to a lowly 28th-place finish. However, he did save the best for last, closing with a 69 to move closer to the pack; what’s more, he was in great form before arriving at East Lake, posting a solo third at TPC Boston and a tie for 13th at Crooked Stick. After playing in all five sessions for Team USA last time around, Walker will look to once again carry his share of the load this week.Next: J.B. Holmes
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J.B. Holmes has been inconsistent in recent weeks, but his length should be a major asset at Hazeltine.
9
J.B. Holmes
No. 21, T4 at the BMW Championship
It’s hard to know what to make of Holmes this week — his form is all over the place. After tying for fourth at Crooked Stick, he looked hapless at the Tour Championship, and while he’s notched three top five finishes since May, those are also his only top 25s over the same stretch. That being said, Hazeltine is an awfully big ballpark, something that could work to this bomber’s advantage. If the Ryder Cup brings out the best in Holmes, as it did in 2008, we could see him turn in a stellar performance this week.Next: Rickie Fowler
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Despite mediocre form, Rickie Fowler will probably be looked to as a leader of Team USA.
10
Rickie Fowler
No. 9, T7 at The Barclays
After needing a captain’s pick to land a spot on the team, Fowler should arrive at Hazeltine with a chip on his shoulder. The Oklahoma State product missed out on the top 45 in the last two playoff events, finishing his season with a whimper and falling out of the Tour Championship bubble. With a lackluster record at the Ryder Cup — he’s still winless, incredibly enough — we should temper our expectations for this week, but there is something to be said for his experience on the big stage. Keep an eye on him.Next: Brooks Koepka
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Brooks Koepka hasn’t been pegging it all that great lately, but his statistical profile is a match for Hazeltine.
11
Brooks Koepka
No. 22, Two top 10s in last five starts
In superb form for most of the summer, Koepka struggled during the postseason and failed to qualify for the Tour Championship. Couple that fact with his lack of team match play experience, and he might seem easy to dismiss as we gear up for the week. Don’t write this Florida State product off, however — with his booming length off the tee and solid putting stroke, Koepka can do damage wherever he goes. With his most recent appearance coming at the BMW Championship, he should at least be rested and ready to go.Next: Zach Johnson
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Short off the tee and struggling through a slump, Zach Johnson probably won’t be turning many heads this week.
12
Zach Johnson
No. 28, Four previous Ryder Cup appearances
This two-time major champion will surely be a popular figure in the locker room, but there’s no denying that he’s Team USA’s weakest link. Johnson’s form has been flat over the past couple of months, leaving him to miss out on the top 25 in every one of his last six starts — including the John Deere Classic, where he’d notched a podium finish in every year since 2011. One of the PGA Tour’s shorter players off the tee, his game probably isn’t well-suited to Hazeltine at the moment. His solid 6-6-2 career record won’t save him this week.Next: Tour Championship: A History of the Season Finale
Who do you think will come out on top at the Ryder Cup: Team USA or Team Europe? Let us know in the comments, and keep it here at Pro Golf Now for more updates from Hazeltine.
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