One-half of the U.S. Presidents Cup team locked in their spots following the BMW Championship.
On Tuesday, Jim Furyk announced the six other players that he will be taking to Canada.
The Presidents Cup will be played September 26-29 at Royal Montreal Golf Club, At 151 years old, it is the oldest golf club in North America.
In 14 Presidents Cups, the US has gone 12-1-1, with its sole defeat coming in 1998.
The American side is the heavy favorite as always — headlined by World Number One and Two in Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele.
But how about Brooks Koepka? Bryson DeChambeau? Dustin Johnson? The LIV contingent will not be making the trip to Canada, as the Presidents Cup is affiliated with the PGA Tour. The U.S. team will be missing a couple of big brands, but the International side will undoubtedly suffer more with the absence of Cam Smith, Joaquin Niemann, and Louis Oosthuizen.
And how about a team event without Jordan Spieth? The 31-year-old, who recently underwent wrist surgery, has been a staple of the U.S. side, missing just one event since turning pro in 2012. His absence as an emotional leader will be deeply felt.
1.) Scottie Scheffler
Scheffler’s 2024 dominance resides in a flurry of jaw-dropping stats. However, he has not had the same command in recent team events. He went 0-3-1 in his Presidents Cup debut in 2022 and 0-2-2 in the 2023 Ryder Cup; as if he needs a chip on his shoulder.
2.) Xander Schauffele
If Scottie Scheffler didn’t exist, Schauffele would be the unanimous 2024 Player of the Year. The now two-time major champion only accumulated one point in the U.S.’s 2023 Ryder Cup defeat, but made the winning putt in the 2022 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow.
3.) Collin Morikawa
Morikawa finished with the highest gross total at the Tour Championship (22 under), but Scheffler’s brilliance (and starting position) was too much to overcome. Few are striking the ball better than the 27-year-old, and his eight top tens in 2024 demonstrate that. He has been solid in his last two Ryder Cups (6-4-1 record) and went 2-1-1 in his 2022 Presidents Cup debut.
4.) Wyndham Clark
It’s been a bumpy ride this season for the 2023 U.S. Open Champion, but top 15 finishes in six of his last seven events show that his form has returned. He suited up for America in The Olympics and battled his way to a T14 finish. The Denver native went 1-1-1 in Rome and will be making his Presidents Cup debut in Montreal.
5.) Patrick Cantlay
‘Hatgate’ was the storyline of the 2023 Ryder Cup, with Cantlay and caddie Joe LaCava at the forefront of the chaos. But hats aside, Cantlay has been nothing short of excellent in team events, boasting an 11-5-1 record over the past four team competitions.
6.) Sahith Theegala
Theegala is the lone newcomer, as he will be making his U.S. debut in Montreal. His flamboyant personality should bode well in a team event setting — he became a fan favorite at the 2022 Waste Management Open when he sported a Pepperdine jersey on the iconic 16th hole. Any concerns of a wrist injury bothering him were quelled with a third-place finish at the Tour Championship.
7.) Keegan Bradley
The most intriguing of the Captain’s Picks, Bradley secured his spot with a win at the BMW Championship in Denver. The 2025 Ryder Cup captain will have a lot on his plate over the next year, but his current job is to secure points for the U.S. in Montreal. Netflix’s Full Swing has shown just how much these team events mean to Bradley on a spiritual level.
8.) Sam Burns
Burns was a no-brainer with his play as of late: a spurt of T12-T5-T2-T12 in his last four events could not have come at a more convenient time. At 28, he has a future in international competitions, but his mediocre performance at the 2023 Ryder Cup (1-2) — combined with the fact that many believe he was selected due to his friendship with Scheffler — left Burns a logical fall guy in the aftermath. A 0-3-2 record at the 2022 Presidents Cup was also disappointing. Safe to say he has a narrative to change later this month.
9.) Tony Finau
“Big Tone” was another shoo-in for this year’s Presidents Cup team. He was a part of the 2021 thrashing of Team Europe at Whistling Straits but missed out on the 2023 Ryder Cup team. Still, he has been a stalwart in U.S. team competitions, as he will be making his third Presidents Cup appearance. Finau has consistently been one of the best ball strikers on tour for the past five years, and he ranks second in strokes gained on approach shots this season.
10.) Brian Harman
Harman is without a doubt the most surprising pick that Captain Furyk made. He made his U.S. debut at the Ryder Cup last year and finished with a modest record of 1-2-0. The Georgia Bulldog has just one top-ten since his T2 at The Players earlier this year and finished with a double bogey on the 72nd hole at the BMW Championship to miss the Tour Championship by one spot. However, he does project as an ideal course fit for Royal Montreal.
11.) Russell Henley
Henley, a four-time Tour winner, enjoyed great success this year. With seven top tens to his name, he has been one of the most consistent players in 2024. Another Georgia Bulldog, he has yet to play for the U.S. side in team competitions. Data Golf currently ranks Henley as the number seven player in the world — he will have a chance to show why.
12.) Max Homa
Homa is the pick for those in the ‘recent form does not matter’ club. His 2024 struggles have been well documented, but his 2023 Ryder Cup performance makes it easier to look past it. Homa was easily the most impressive U.S. performer in Rome, and his putt on the 18th hole to keep the American side alive was pure stones. A wayward driver has plagued him for the majority of the year, but Homa will be a core piece of American teams for years to come. Furyk should not be scorned for this decision.
Justin Thomas
“You just don’t leave JT at home,” said 2023 Ryder Cup Captain Zach Johnson. Well, Furyk’s choice to leave Thomas in the States is certainly a choice. JT has not been excellent by any means in 2024, but he has been solid, and with a 17-7-4 record in team events, his resume speaks for itself. It will be strange to see an American team without ‘Shake n Bake’ — Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.
Billy Horschel
Horschel’s 2024 resurrection has been wild — just over a year ago Horschel was brought to tears following an opening 84 at The Memorial in 2023. With three top-ten finishes in his last five events and a win over Scottie Scheffler in the 2021 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, Horschel has as decorated a resume as anybody.
Akshay Bhatia
The lefty enjoyed a career year on Tour; he figured out how to turn his immense talent into production. He has fallen out of form since his win at the Valero Texas Open in early April, but many would have liked to see him picked because he figures to play a role in these events in the future.
Nick Dunlap
The ‘use the Presidents Cup as a pick for the future’ club would have preferred the 20-year-old to some of the more veteran options on the team. And as a two-time winner, he certainly had a case. Regardless, Dunlap, like Bhatia, will be a staple of the American side going forward.