US Ryder Cup hopefuls Tony Finau and Xander Schauffele have wound up in the same group as team captain Jim Furyk at the PGA Championship.
With one last chance to qualify for the team and next month's competition, Furyk says it is just a coincidence.
"I think it's a great pairing for me," he said, adding: "It probably isn't the best pairing for them."
Furyk has been around long enough to understand the additional pressure of the PGA Championship in a Ryder Cup year.
It is effectively two tournaments in one - the final major of the year and one last chance to avoid having to audition as a captain's pick.
Furyk had to rely on a pick in 2012, and he wasn't so fortunate in 2016, when he finished 15th in the points and went to Hazeltine as a vice-captain.
"It's stressful. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves as players," he said.
"It's like there's two scoreboards - one for playing and one you're checking out the guys around you."
That's why he sent a text to Schauffele, the PGA Tour rookie of the year last season, who was ranked No.11 heading into Bellerive.
"I just wrote a little text saying, 'Boy, I saw you got the bad end of the stick on the pairings this week.' A little smiley face came back on the text," Furyk said.
The top four players already have clinched a spot to play Europe in Paris - Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas and Patrick Reed.
They are followed by Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson, who has a narrow lead over Bryson DeChambeau.
Phil Mickelson, who has never had to rely on a captain's pick, is at No.10.
Tiger Woods is at No.20, roughly $US130,000 ($A175,506) in PGA Championship earnings from the No.8 spot.
He already is a vice-captain and has talked to Furyk since January about the possibility of a dual role in the 12-strong team.
"It's fun to see him put himself in the mix, and being 20th on the points with very few events is a pretty good spot," Furyk said.
Finau, at No.13 in the standings, did not appear the least bit stressed when he finished his final practice round at Bellerive.
"I have a chance to try to win a major, just like 155 other guys. That's all my focus is on."
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