The six automatic qualifiers for the 2023 U.S. Ryder Cup Team are set.
Following Sunday’s BMW Championship finish, four players joined the previously clinched Scottie Scheffler and Wyndham Clark on U.S. Captain Zach Johnson’s 12-man squad that will face Europe on Sept. 29-Oct. 1 in Rome: Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa and Xander Schauffele.
Here is a closer look at each of the first six Americans selected:
Scottie Scheffler
Age: 27
World Ranking: 1
Ryder Cup appearances: 1 (2021)
U.S. Ryder Cup record: 2-0-1 (1-0-1 in four-ball, 1-0 in singles)
Season at a glance: Scheffler delivered one of the most dominant runs in recent history as he reeled off 19 straight top-12 finishes, including wins at the WM Phoenix Open and The Players, earlier this season. And after seemingly cooling off the past few weeks, he added a T-2 at BMW to recapture any momentum lost. He also leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained tee-to-green, gaining more than a half-shot on second-ranked Rory McIlroy.
Wyndham Clark
Age: 29
World Ranking: 11
Ryder Cup appearances: Making debut
U.S. Ryder Cup record: Making debut
Season at a glance: Clark has improved throughout the bag during his breakout season. He became his own swing coach and ranks No. 33 in strokes gained approach after not cracking the top 170 in that category at the end of any prior season. He switched putters in March, employing an exact replica of Rickie Fowler’s Odyssey Versa Jailbird putter, to climb from outside the top 100 to No. 37 in strokes gained putting. And, rounding out his game, he started working with sports psychologist Julie Elion. As a result, Clark has won twice this season, including his first major at the U.S. Open.
Brian Harman
Age: 36
World Ranking: 8
Ryder Cup appearances: Making debut
U.S. Ryder Cup record: Making debut
Season at a glance: Harman was well outside the automatic Ryder Cup bid picture before arriving at Royal Liverpool last month. He had a trio of runner-up finishes, including most recently in June at the Travelers, but then he went and won The Open, his first major, by five shots to shoot up the U.S. points list. Harman then officially clinched his spot on the U.S. Team with a T-5 finish at BMW.
Patrick Cantlay
Age: 31
World Ranking: 4
Ryder Cup appearances: 1 (2021)
U.S. Ryder Cup record: 3-0-1 (0-0-1 in four-ball, 2-0 in foursomes, 1-0 in singles)
Season at a glance: Cantlay played just once last fall, tying for second at the Shriners Open, before taking a few events to get going in the new year. Cantlay hasn’t won this season, but starting with a solo third at Genesis, he’s cracked the top 25 in 12 of 15 starts, including top-15s at the three of the four majors this year. Statistically, Cantlay has been impressive throughout the bag, as he is nearly top 50 in all four strokes-gained categories, including fifth off the tee.
Max Homa
Age: 32
World Ranking: 7
Ryder Cup appearances: Making debut
U.S. Ryder Cup record: Making debut
Season at a glance: Homa has used a hot putter (fifth in strokes gained putting this season) to orchestrate a campaign that’s featured two wins (Fortinet, Farmers) and nine other top-10s, including three straight. His latest was a T-5 at the BMW, where he fired a course-record 62 in the second round at Olympia Fields.
Xander Schauffele
Age: 29
World Ranking: 6
Ryder Cup appearances: 1 (2021)
U.S. Ryder Cup record: 3-1 (1-0 in four-ball, 2-0 in foursomes, 0-1 in singles)
Season at a glance: Schauffele’s T-8 at BMW didn’t just push him past Brooks Koepka for the final automatic spot on the U.S. Team, it also marked his best finish since a runner-up at Wells Fargo in May. However, he was solid in the majors this year, not finishing worse than T-18 in any of them. And like Homa, Schauffele is a top-5 putter on Tour (fourth in strokes gained putting) while sitting No. 14 in strokes gained tee-to-green.
