PGA Pro Tour News

The U.S. Ryder Cup team has someone for everyone.

You like the old pros? Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are part of the team, which was announced in full Tuesday in Philadelphia.

You like the new guys? Bryson DeChambeau, who won the first two events of the FedEx Cup, will play at Le Golf National, near Paris, when the U.S. takes on Europe’s stars Sept. 28-30.

All three were at-large picks made by captain Jim Furyk. His former vice captain, Woods, will play instead of advise. And who expected that in January when Furyk tapped Woods as a “coach?”

“It’s incredible, it really is, to look back at the start of the year and now to have accomplished a goal like that, to be a part of this team, and now to be a player is just, like I said, it’s beyond special,” Woods said.

In January, golf at a high level was a dream almost out of reach for Woods. Now? He has five top-10 finishes behind him, including second in the PGA Championship.

Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Justin Thomas, Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson earned the first eight spots on the team. Furyk will pick one more on Monday after the BMW Championship.

European captain Thomas Bjorn will announce his four at-large selections on Wednesday. Francesco Molinari, Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Alex Noren and Thorbjorn Olesen already hold spots on the team.

The Ryder Cup is played every two years, alternating between courses on either side of the pond. The U.S. hasn’t won in Europe since 1993.

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman