Ryder Cup: Grading Team USA’s Captain’s Picks
- Updated: September 9, 2021
The debatably exciting FedEx Cup playoffs have officially concluded, and the focus in men’s golf now shifts to the always entertaining Ryder Cup.
Led by captain Steve Stricker, the United States look to avenge the whooping they received in France in 2018. This year the event will be contested at Whistling Straits in Stricker’s home state of Wisconsin.
In these parts, he can do no wrong and he seems like just the man for the job. Is he, though? Only time will tell. But if he can captain this team like he hits a dead-handed wedge from 80 yards then Europe is in for a rough ride.
One of the first and most important tasks the captain faces is locking in those captain’s picks. Well, the picks are in and the team is set. Here’s how we think he did.
Captain’s Picks
Xander Schauffele
An absolute no-brainer. While he didn’t have a win in 2021, he had a solid season with eight top tens including three second-place finishes. He isn’t the most accurate driver of the golf ball, but he did rank second on tour in sand save percentage this year which can come in handy at a course with a thousand bunkers.
Moreover, he’s a streaky player who can blow out his opponent when he gets hot. Pick Grade: A
Jordan Spieth
After over 3 seasons of mediocrity, Jordan’s game has seen a resurgence in 2021. I don’t think anyone would argue that he’s back to his 2015 form, but that’s a tough season to repeat.
In 25 events played, he had nine top 10s including five top 3s and a win in San Antonio. He ranked 33rd in shots gained putting this year and is a far cry from the Jordan that was draining 25 footers like tap-ins.
But I would take him with a putter in his hand over just about anyone else out there. Pick Grade: A
Tony Finau
A fan favorite and coming off a solid year, which actually includes a win. He got off the schneid at Liberty National last month and got his second win on Tour and his first since 2016.
He racked up eight top 10s this year and has shown some good form in the last several events. He surprisingly ranked just 31st in driving distance this season, but his 305-yard average tee shot should suffice to get him around this track. Pick Grade: A-
Harris English
With two wins and eight top 10s, English is arguably coming off the best season of his career. He also finished 3rd at the US Open and fought to the bitter end just to miss out on a playoff in Memphis. His win in Hartford came on the eighth hole of a two-man playoff, which essentially is match play.
While he may not have the Ryder Cup experience, he’s a Tour veteran with some serious mental toughness and is sure to be an asset in the locker room and on the course. Pick Grade: B+
Scotty Scheffler
At 25 years old, he lacks overall experience out on Tour. But his game certainly doesn’t show many signs of that. Scheffler had eight top 10s this season and came in second at the only match play event.
On top of that, he won the 2011 Legends Junior Match Play Championship and the 2013 US Junior Amateur. The guy clearly likes match play and this experience should help him continue to be a factor in this event for years to come. Pick Grade: B
Daniel Berger
He’s had a relatively consistent year, missing just 2 cuts in 23 events and getting the win at Pebble.
His finishes of late have been nothing to write home about, but he did shoot 69-67-64 in his last three rounds of the Tour Championship which likely played a factor.
He ranked 7th in greens in regulation percentage which will be a tremendous help at Whistling Straits where missed greens often have dreadful consequences. Pick Grade: B-
Captain’s Snubs
Kevin Na
Man, this was a tough one. Na has become a really likable character on Tour the last several years and his game has never been better. His lone win came back in January in Hawaii, but he has finished top 25 in his last 5 starts prior to the Tour Championship.
He ranked 1st in shots gained around the green this year and we’ve seen him go on some ridiculous heaters with the putter.
His driving distance may have been the deciding factor in leaving him off, averaging a measly 288 yards which will not help at a course that can tip out close to 8,000 yards. Snub Grade: C+
Kevin Kisner
A lot of people liked this guy for this guy. He won the Wyndham Championship a month ago and is known for his match play performance, having won the Dell in 2019 and coming in second in 2018.
But like Kevin Na, Kisner ranks low in driving distance. He also is coming off two ugly performances following that win – a MC at Northern Trust and T66 at the BMW.
While he’s shown the chops to be a solid pick in the past, he’s just not in good enough form right now to justify a pick over some of the other choices. Snub Grade: B
Patrick Reed
On the surface, it seems sacrilegious to leave Captain America off the team. He’s performed well in the past and was a big factor in their win in 2016. But after his asterisk win at the Farmers in January, he had a less than impressive season by his standards with six top 10s and 5 MCs.
He also recently had a bout with Pneumonia and was in the hospital for several days, so his health could definitely have been a factor in this snub. But he was healthy enough to play at East Lake, so it’s hard to believe he wouldn’t be a factor if he did make the team.
I can’t imagine his liberal on course rules interpretations nor his attitude in general, will be missed amongst the current team, but it still had to be tough for Stricker to leave him off. Snub Grade: C-
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