The last piece of the US Ryder Cup team was completed Monday, when Tony Finau was announced by captain Jim Furyk as the last of his four picks for the squad. Finau had been rumored to be Furyk’s top choice.
The 28-year-old joined Tiger Woods, Bryson DeChambeau, and Phil Mickelson as the other selections. Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, and Webb Simpson were the automatic qualifiers for the 2018 U.S. team.
The will face off against the European team at Le Golf National in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, a suburb of Paris. The Americans are the strong favorite at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. They are listed at -210, while the Europeans are at +175.
The European squad consists of Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Rory McIlroy, Francesco Molinari, Alex Noren, Thorbjørn Olesen, Jon Rahm and Justin Rose. European Captain Thomas Bjørn selected Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, and Henrik Stenson.
Resume Impresses Furyk
Finau finished 15th in the Ryder Cup player standings, and there were six players who had more points than him, but his play this season, especially in the major championships and the Fed Ex Cup Playoffs was tough to ignore. Finau finished in the top 10 in three of the four majors, and in the three playoff events, he placed second, fourth and eighth.
“He has an unbelievable body of work this year,” Furyk said in a statement. “All those top-10 finishes, the play in big championships and the majors, and then his current form, a second, a fourth and an eighth in the playoffs. He checked a lot of boxes and made it impossible not to pick him.”
Finau was overjoyed when he heard the news, and posted his elation on Twitter.
“A dream come true!! Incredibly honored to be a part of @RyderCupUSA! Excited to join the team and do whatever it takes to help us bring home a victory!! Thanks to Captain Jim Furyk for believing in me and to all the fans for their support. I’m truly humbled,” he posted on Twitter.
Playing Hungry
Though the rumors were loud that he was the Furyk’s choice, Finau took nothing for granted. He knew there were other players with more points ahead of him, and used the last three weeks to prove to the captain that he belonged.
“I never thought I was on that team until I got that call,” Finau said. “I made sure I played that way. I played like I always had something to prove. And I let the guys on the team know that I’d be a great pick and I’d be ready to go. It’s definitely cool to accomplish something like this and to be able to play as well as I have under the circumstances. It’s something I’m extremely proud of.”
Fellow golfer Billy Horschel said Finau was the right pick for a variety of reasons.
“He gets along with everyone,” said Horschel. “He would be a great partner. The one question I’d have, like with any rookie, is if he can he close out a big match. But his recent play has shown that he has the ability to play on the biggest stage.”