Golf News 815

We’re one year away from the Ryder Cup. Again.

The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the golf calendar this summer, including the postponement of the 43rd edition of the (normally) biennial matches. And that’s a shame, given the weather forecast this week at Whistling Straits during what would have been Ryder Cup week – highs in the low-70s and plenty of sunshine.

Instead, we’ll have to wait another year, as Thursday marks one year until the revised opening matches in Wisconsin on Sept. 24, 2021. The team captains remain the same, with Steve Stricker leading the Americans and Padraig Harrington at the helm for the defending champs from Europe. But the composition of the teams got a face lift as tournament organizers attempted to adapt and adjust to the pandemic’s repercussions.

That’s most evident on the U.S. side, where Stricker was originally expected to make four captain’s picks. That allotment was increased to six when it (briefly) appeared that the matches would be played this week in the wake of the rescheduled U.S. Open. Once the decision was made to push it back to 2021, the PGA of America kept Stricker’s six-pack of picks in tact.

With Americans winning each of the two majors this year, the adjustment creates a situation where only the top six will qualify automatically for Whistling Straits and could leave several decorated players in need of a phone call from Stricker to make the team.

Here’s a look at the U.S. standings following the U.S. Open, with players earning points through the BMW Championship in August:

1. Dustin Johnson

2. Bryson DeChambeau

3. Collin Morikawa

4. Brooks Koepka

5. Justin Thomas

6. Webb Simpson

—

7. Xander Schauffele

8. Patrick Reed

9. Tony Finau

10. Daniel Berger

Tiger Woods is currently 15th on the American points list, while Jordan Spieth is 25th and Phil Mickelson, who hasn’t missed a Ryder Cup since 1991, is 29th.

On the European side, qualification will still include a European Points list and a World Points list, with players coming from both standings and supplemented by three picks from Harrington. While full specifics about qualification won’t be confirmed until after the 2021 European Tour schedule has been released, here’s how things look one year before the matches:

European Points (top 4 qualify)

1. Tommy Fleetwood

2. Jon Rahm

3. Rory McIlroy

4. Victor Perez

World Points (top 5 not otherwise exempt qualify)

1. Tyrrell Hatton

2. Danny Willett

3. Matthew Fitzpatrick

4. Lee Westwood

5. Bernd Wiesberger

—

6. Graeme McDowell

7. Henrik Stenson

8. Matthias Schwab

9. Rafael Cabrera-Bello

10. Shane Lowry