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Sep 8 update: Team USA Captain Steve Stricker announced his six Captain’s picks for the 2021 Ryder Cup team. The list includes Tony Finau, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Harris English, Daniel Berger, and Scottie Scheffler.
The 2020-21 PGA Tour season comes to a close with the TOUR Championship the weekend of September 2nd. The 2021-22 season picks up two weeks later, but we also get the always significant Ryder Cup. Team USA will face Team Europe September 24-26 on the Straits course at Whistling Straits, Haven, Wisconsin.
The Ryder Cup teams include 12 golfers apiece and feature a mix of automatic qualifiers and captain’s picks. Team Europe will have nine automatic qualifiers and three captain’s picks while Team USA will feature six automatic qualifiers and six captain’s picks. The Team USA Captain is Steve Stricker and his Vice Captains are Fred Couples and Phil Mickelson. The Team Europe Captain is Padraig Harrington with Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell serving as Vice Captains.
Neither side has finalized their roster but DraftKings Sportsbook has odds for who will lift the trophy when the Ryder Cup ends. Team USA is listed as a -190 favorite while Team Europe isa +140 underdog.
Team USA sorted out automatic qualifiers at the end of the recent BMW Championship. Players earned points from their performances in 2019 from major championships, WGC events, and The Players Championship, in 2020 and 2021 from PGA Tour events and major championships. The six golfers who automatically qualified are:
- Collin Morikawa
- Dustin Johnson
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Brooks Koepka
- Justin Thomas
- Patrick Cantlay
The remaining six captain’s picks will be announced sometime after the 2021 TOUR Championship concludes on Sunday, September 6.
Captain’s picks (updated Sep 8):
- Tony Finau
- Xander Schauffele
- Jordan Spieth
- Harris English
- Daniel Berger
- Scottie Scheffler