Half of the U.S. Ryder Cup team is locked.
The conclusion of the BMW Championship marked the end of official qualifying for the U.S. team. Six players have now punched their ticket to Rome, Italy, while U.S. captain Zach Johnson will make six picks following next week’s Tour Championship.
Rounding out the automatic qualifiers is Xander Schauffele. The 29-year-old posted his tenth top-10 of the season at the BMW with a T-8, jumping one spot in the standings.
“You don’t really want to sit around and wait for the phone call,” Schauffele, a 2021 Ryder Cupper, said Sunday. “Been on both sides of it, to be completely honest, for a Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup team. I can’t remember which one was a pick, which one was not. But I remember getting a call saying no and a call saying yes. It’s nice to automatically qualify.”
Schauffele’s move into the top six bumped Brooks Koepka out, which means the PGA Championship winner, who plays on the LIV Golf tour, must now rely on a captain’s pick on Aug. 29. Schauffele edged Koepka in the standings by 29 points.
