Stricker says U.S. to stick with four Ryder Cup captain's picks

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (Reuters) - The United States will retain four wildcard selections for next year's Ryder Cup, captain Steve Stricker said on Wednesday.

Stricker says U.S. to stick with four Ryder Cup captain's picks

(Reuters)





Speaking on the eve of the PGA Championship, Stricker was asked whether he would follow the lead of his European counterpart Padraig Harrington, who has decided to cut his captain's picks from four to three.

"We haven't thought to change that at all," Stricker said. "I think our process that we've gone through over the years has worked.

"I'm comfortable with having the four picks. I think it gives us a lot of flexibility on ... who's playing well. I think we're happy with what we're doing."

Stricker's comments notwithstanding, an argument could be made that the captain's choices have not always worked well recently.

Three of Furyk's picks for last year's event in Paris -- Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau -- lost every match they played.

Only Tony Finau shone, winning two of his three matches.

As for the European side, Harrington said he would most likely pick the number nine player on the qualifying list anyway in his 12-man team.

"My opinion on this matter is that players who qualify tend to be more confident and assured of their place in the team than players who are selected," Harrington said on Tuesday.

"When you qualify, you've qualified on merit, you deserve to be there, and it takes a little bit of the stress and pressure off."

Next year's Ryder Cup will be held from Sept. 25-27 at Whistling Straits adjacent to Lake Michigan in Wisconsin.

Europe has dominated the Ryder Cup the past two decades, with six consecutive home victories in the biennial event.

But the spoils have been evenly shared when it has been played in the U.S., with the Americans and Europeans both winning three of the past six.









(Reporting by Andrew Both, editing by Ed Osmond)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world