Is Team USA So Desperate That Hunter Mahan Just Locked Up A Ryder Cup Captain's Pick?
/With his Barclays win, Hunter Mahan recorded his second top-10 since March and finished 25th in Ryder Cup points.
But as Lindsay Gibbs points out, he's trending in the right direction for a country with not too many hopefuls right now.
After 13 straight tournaments without a top-20 finish, Mahan has now finished tied for 15th at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, tied for seventh at the PGA Championship and now alone in first at The Barclays.
All of the SI/golf.com guys have a "why not?" attitude toward a Mahan selection in this week's roundtable, and Jim McCabe would seem to agree.
It would be embellishment to suggest that Mahan has been motivated only by a chance to be on this year’s American team that will compete at Gleneagles in Scotland Sept. 26-28. Fact is, though he’s been arguably one of the world’s steadiest players since 2007, Mahan accepts that his scratchy play had left him off this year’s radar. He finished 25th in the standings, which Mahan is savvy enough to translate as a message. That being, step it up, son.
Getting selected as a captain's pick would not be unfamiliar territory for Mahan, writes Jason Sobel.
On four separate occasions – twice for the Ryder Cup, twice for the Presidents Cup – Mahan finished just outside the final automatic qualifying position on the points list, but was named to the roster as a captain’s pick.
Before Mahan's big final day at the Barclays, Michael Fitzpatrick wondered if this is the sorriest USA team to head overseas since 2006, which I think is a tad strong considering how quickly some of the players on the current USA squad have been known to jumpstart their games.
He was particularly tough on Team USA's No. 1 points earner, Bubba Watson, but also noted that Americans Kuchar and Spieth suddenly look less compelling based on recent play.
As it is, Watson has managed to notch just three points for the U.S. Ryder Cup team in eight career matches and he has yet to win a singles or foursomes match in Ryder Cup play.
Matt Kuchar, who is ranked sixth in the U.S. Ryder Cup point standings, has posted just two top-10 finishes since his win at the RBC Heritage back in mid-April. He also withdrew from the PGA Championship two weeks ago with back spasms that came about while he was out shopping for a Slip N’ Slide toy for his children (as reported by Golfchannel.com), although his back issues seem to have subsided as he is currently tied for 16th through 36-holes at The Barclays.
With all of the hoopla surrounding Rory McIlroy and his two consecutive major championship wins, the Jordan Spieth story has become so last year. Spieth, who is seventh in the U.S. Ryder Cup point standings, has just one top 10 since the Players Championship back in May, and that came at the very weak fielded John Deere Classic.