Some of golf’s biggest names have been added to the Ryder Cup rosters over the past two days, as captains Jim Furyk and Thomas Bjorn unveiled their personal selections to the teams that will face off later this month in France.
The Ryder Cup competition the United States against Europe in a match play format, with each team being made up of 12 players.
Tiger Woods Reaches Ryder Cup Goal
Both teams qualified eight players based on various merit-based systems. The United States takes the eight leading players on its Ryder Cup points list, while the European team consists of four players each from the Race to Dubai (the European Tour’s order of merit), along with four more from the World Points List.
That leaves four captain’s picks for each squad. US captain Jim Furyk began the process on Tuesday, choosing Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Bryson DeChambeau for his team, with one more choice to come after the BMW Championship this coming weekend.
The three players chosen happened to be the next three on the Ryder Cup points list, but that’s not necessarily why they were chosen. Both Mickelson and Woods have had resurgent seasons, and that combined with their experience in the Ryder Cup made it almost impossible to see them left off the list. Meanwhile, DeChambeau has become the hottest player on tour, winning the first two events in the FedEx Cup playoffs over the past two weeks.
Woods’ inclusion on the team caps off an incredible comeback for the 42-year-old. While Tiger is undoubtedly one of the greatest golfers in the history of the sport, injuries and age had slowed him considerably in recent years, and as recently as last December, he was ranked 1,199th in the world.
But a string of great results, including a runner-up finish as the PGA Championship, have put him back in the conversation on a weekly basis. He is now ranked No. 26 in the world, and says that one of his goals all year long was to put himself in position to make the US Ryder Cup squad.
“Deep down, I wanted to make the team. I really wanted to play on it,” Woods told reporters after his inclusion was announced. “It’s incredible, it really is, to look back at the start of the year and now to have accomplished a goal like that, to be a part of this team, and now to be a player is just beyond special.”
Bjorn Adds Experience to Round Out European Team
On Wednesday, Bjorn announced all four of his captain’s picks, revealing the entirety of the European roster. Added to the squad were Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson. Between the four, they have made 20 Ryder Cup appearances for Europe, adding plenty of experience to a squad that already contains big names like Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose.
“It makes me very happy to see this group of 12. I believe that together we can do great things,” Bjorn said following the announcement. “We know what we’re up against. We know what America brings, but I’m confident that this is the group of guys that can do the job.”
While Europe has won the last five times it has hosted the Ryder Cup – as well as eight of the last 11 Ryder Cups in total – the Americans are coming off a win in 2016 and enter the 2018 contest as a slight favorite. William Hill lists the USA as 4/5 favorites over Europe (5/4), with 12/1 odds being offered on the match ending in a draw.
