U.S. roster sets 9 spots for 2014 Ryder Cup as points standings close

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.

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.

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?

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.