When he came into last week’s PGA Championship, Phil Mickelson felt he was close to putting it all together. Coming off a 62 at last week’s Bridgestone Invitational, Phil kept it rolling this week and made an unexpected run at another Wanamaker Trophy.
U.S. roster sets 9 spots for 2014 Ryder Cup as points standings close
With the major championship season now over, all eyes turn to the Ryder Cup at the end of September. On Sunday night, the American side filled out most of its roster, and Phil Mickelson made the biggest move.
Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE
While he may have come up short in another major, one thing is clear: Phil has played his way onto the Ryder Cup team. While other players have played their way off the team, or have injured themselves, or are suspended, Phil showed us all why he will be an asset for the USA at Gleneagles in a little more than a month.
2014 Ryder Cup
2014 Ryder Cup
After his solo second place finish at the PGA Championship last weekend, Mickelson locked up a Ryder Cup spot, freeing captain Tom Watson to be more flexible with his captain’s picks. If Phil didn’t crack the top nine (the automatic Ryder Cup spots), he was still going to be a captain’s pick and take one of those three spots. Phil is by far the most experienced player in the U.S. pool and he needed to be on this team.
Now Watson will need to figure out what to do with his three captain’s picks. Keegan Bradley was underwhelming at the PGA Championship, but he’s played in a Ryder Cup and is a natural partner for Mickelson. Brendon Todd, another player just outside the top 9, didn’t have a great PGA Championship, either, but he’ll be up for consideration based on where he fell in the standings. Todd has seven top-10s this year and could provide a rookie spark to the U.S. team.
With injuries to Jason Dufner and Matt Kuchar, and Dustin Johnson lost to suspension, the U.S. looked to be in shambles before the weekend. The play of Mickelson is maybe the first positive thing to happen for the U.S. side in two weeks. The team is going to lack experience and be a heavy underdog. It was very important for Phil to play well. And he did just that. He’ll play the role of mentor at the Ryder Cup and if he keeps his putter rolling, he’ll pick up a few points as well.
As for the other exceedingly experienced player who’s not qualified on points but still out there as a captain’s pick?
Watson says "I'd be foolish" not to consider Tiger a captain's pick. Says decision would be based on what Tiger tells him.
— Doug Ferguson (@dougferguson405) August 11, 2014 Well then "@WillGrayGC: Watson said Tiger told him directly in conversation: "I want you to pick me."
— Brendan Porath (@BrendanPorath) August 11, 2014 Should be a fun three weeks of Tiger discussion!
Here are the final points standings for the American side. The European points race will close at the end of August.
| Place | Player | Points |
| 1 | Bubba WATSON | 6,930.04 |
| 2 | Rickie FOWLER | 6,733.25 |
| 3 | Jim FURYK | 6,707.69 |
| 4 | Jimmy WALKER | 6,111.41 |
| 5 | Phil MICKELSON | 5,510.34 |
| 6 | Matt KUCHAR | 5,114.67 |
| 7 | Jordan SPIETH | 4,835.83 |
| 8 | Patrick REED | 3,650.23 |
| 9 | Zach JOHNSON | 3,568.69 |
| Top 9 Automatically Qualify | ||
| 10 | Jason DUFNER | 3,559.72 |
| 11 | Ryan MOORE | 3,352.87 |
| 12 | Brendon TODD | 3,343.38 |
| 13 | Keegan BRADLEY | 3,324.70 |
| 14 | Chris KIRK | 3,287.88 |
| 15 | Webb SIMPSON | 3,155.57 |
| 16 | Harris ENGLISH | 3,036.07 |
| 17 | Kevin NA | 2,960.82 |
| 18 | Ryan PALMER | 2,612.13 |
| 19 | Matt EVERY | 2,527.31 |
| 20 | Brandt SNEDEKER | 2,476.65 |
| 21 | Erik COMPTON | 2,458.79 |
| 22 | Kevin STADLER | 2,456.48 |
| 23 | Brian HARMAN | 2,447.70 |
| 24 | Gary WOODLAND | 2,364.39 |
| 25 | Hunter MAHAN | 2,346.36 |
| 26 | J.B. HOLMES | 2,302.94 |
| 27 | Kevin STREELMAN | 2,215.51 |
| 28 | Bill HAAS | 2,151.64 |
| 29 | Steve STRICKER | 2,004.86 |
| 30 | Charley HOFFMAN | 1,991.02 |
| 31 | George MCNEILL | 1,893.78 |
| 32 | Charles HOWELL III | 1,853.84 |
| 33 | Russell HENLEY | 1,843.75 |
| 34 | Will MACKENZIE | 1,812.88 |
| 35 | Billy HORSCHEL | 1,755.05 |
| 36 | Brian STUARD | 1,651.25 |
| 37 | Chris STROUD | 1,642.18 |
| 38 | Jason BOHN | 1,544.98 |
| 39 | Brooks KOEPKA | 1,490.94 |
| 40 | Daniel SUMMERHAYS | 1,466.45 |
| 41 | Scott BROWN | 1,447.34 |
| 42 | Cameron TRINGALE | 1,433.97 |
| 43 | Ben CRANE | 1,414.57 |
| 44 | Ben MARTIN | 1,407.79 |
| 45 | Jerry KELLY | 1,406.93 |
| 46 | Scott STALLINGS | 1,389.09 |
| 47 | Kevin CHAPPELL | 1,384.40 |
| 48 | Justin HICKS | 1,370.40 |
| 49 | Pat PEREZ | 1,339.29 |
| 50 | Shawn STEFANI | 1,332.08 |
| 51 | Brendan STEELE | 1,330.42 |
| 52 | Billy HURLEY III | 1,176.24 |
| 53 | Robert GARRIGUS | 1,171.97 |
| 54 | John HUH | 1,135.05 |
| 55 | Andrew SVOBODA | 1,094.94 |
| 56 | Stewart CINK | 1,090.46 |
| 57 | Jason KOKRAK | 1,071.03 |
| 58 | David TOMS | 1,058.08 |
| 59 | Michael THOMPSON | 1,048.20 |
| 60 | Jeff OVERTON | 1,046.15 |
| 61 | Chesson HADLEY | 1,025.17 |
| 62 | Scott LANGLEY | 1,011.41 |
| 63 | Martin FLORES | 999.677 |
| 64 | Robert STREB | 991.402 |
| 65 | Boo WEEKLEY | 988.665 |
| 66 | Justin LEONARD | 951.42 |
| 67 | Bo VAN PELT | 933.783 |
| 68 | Nick WATNEY | 903.02 |
| 69 | Troy MERRITT | 848.997 |
| 70 | Tiger WOODS | 806.254 |
