*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
Scottie Scheffler
What a difference two years make. A wildcard pick in 2021, the lowest-ranked player, and without a PGA Tour win to his name, things are a little different this time for Scottie Scheffler. Now as World number one, and with a green jacket to his name, Scheffler will be Zach Johnson’s go-to man when in need of points. Scottie went undefeated in Whistling Straits and he will take a lot of stopping in Marco Simone.
Patrick Cantlay
If there’s one player members of Team Europe will dread to come up against in this Ryder Cup its Patrick Cantlay. He’s an incredibly accurate striker of the ball and is a wizard with the flat stick. Combine those with a very slow and methodical style of play he’ll cause nightmares for his opponents. Most likely he’ll team up with Xander Schauffele on Friday and Saturday as they’ve had success both in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup when paired together. I like Cantaly’s value to be the USA’s Top Point Scorer.
Xander Schauffele
Xander showed his late season form pushing Viktor Hovland all the way in the Tour Championship. As mentioned, the probability is that he will be paired with Cantlay for the Fourballs and Foursomes. Xander took home three points last time out in Whistling Straits, coming undone in the singles against McIlroy after being sent out first. Will Zach Johnson show equal faith in Xander this year? I believe the Tokyo gold medallist will play a big part in USA’s assault on Rome.
Wyndham Clark
Wyndham Clark is making his Ryder Cup debut this year but is fully deserving of his seat on the plane. He claimed his maiden major this year winning the US Open. On top of that consistency has been a key factor in Clark securing his spot. He’s only missed one cut since October. He has had some prior team event experience in the Palmer Cup but he came unstuck against a familiar name in blue, Jon Rahm. One to watch if we see the two meet in Rome again.
Max Homa
Another debutant on Team USA is Californian Max Homa. A crowd favourite, Max has a calm and nonchalant demeanour about him on the course. He comes across as a good teammate and someone you’d want by your side in matchplay. The proof is there too, when he went four from four in the Presidents Cup last year. I’d expect to see Max quite a bit in Rome and fancy him to be the USA’s Top Rookie Point Scorer.
Brian Harman
Like Europe, USA has one lefty in its team and that is Open Champion Brian Harman. He makes his debut this year but has seen previous team success when he won the Walker Cup in 2005 and 2009. Whoever in blue finds themselves up against Harman will have a tough task to get the better of the Georgia native. Even though he’s small in stature he doesn’t lack in distance and he’s ice-cold on the greens. In his Open victory he made 59/60 putts from inside 10ft. That took incredible mental strength considering the majority of those were made when he led the tournament. He will be tough to beat.
Collin Morikawa
Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa comes into the Ryder Cup on the back of a poor season by his high standards. He started the year by giving up a six-shot lead to Jon Rahm at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January. Morikawa also lost out to teammate Rickie Fowler in a playoff at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. There’s no doubting his talent though, and he boasted a strong showing in his debut in 2021 claiming three points. It’ll be interesting to see how Collin fairs in Rome.
WILL EUROPE BEAT USA IN ITALY?
Brooks Koepka
Brooks Koepka will be flying the flag for LIV golf in Rome as he’s the only member of the Saudi-backed Tour involved. Whatever your stance or thoughts are on LIV, you would’ve had to been very naive to leave out an in-form Koepka and Zach Johnson thought the same. Having been pushed out of automatic spots, it was left to a captain’s pick to secure Koepka’s place. Johnson duly picked Brooks who claimed his fifth major title of his career and his first in four years, in May winning the PGA Championship. Brooks seems to thrive under the villain tag and he will be extremely motivated to prove doubters wrong in Rome.
Jordan Speith
This will be Speith’s fifth outing at the Ryder Cup and he’s proved to be very successful through the years. Having not qualified automatically there was little debate whether Speith was going to make the team. His performance at the Presidents Cup last year furthered his claim after he went five for five. The three-time major winner will play a big part for Team USA on Friday and Saturday, and there are no prizes for guessing who’ll be his partner.
Justin Thomas
Without question, the most controversial of all the captain’s picks was Justin Thomas. The two-time major champion had a season to forget this year as he failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs. On top of that, he missed three of the four major cuts with a T-65th finish at the PGA Championship his best. It must be noted though in team events he’s a different animal. He was a catalyst for USA in 2021, and when paired with Jordan Speith they take some stopping. All eyes will be on JT in Italy. The question is will he crumble or will he rise to the occasion?
Rickie Fowler
Rickie Fowler has had a very welcome return to form this and he makes his fifth appearance at the Ryder Cup making him the most experienced member of the team along with Speith. Rickie ended a four-year wait for victory with his win at the Rocket Mortgage Classic this year. The switch of coaches returning to Butch Harmon has proved hugely beneficial for Fowler and he looks like the Rickie of old. He’ll be an essential player for the young USA team adding some valuable veteran experience.
Sam Burns
Sam Burns makes his Ryder Cup debut this year thanks to one of Zach Johnson’s captain’s picks. Many questioned Burns’s capabilities at this level after a poor showing at the Presidents Cup going 0-3-2 but he proved any doubters wrong with his victory at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in March. The main strength to Burn’s game is undoubtedly his putting and that’ll be truly put to the test on the greens in Rome. It’ll be interesting to see how often he’s utilised on Friday and Saturday but there’s no question of his ability. He rounds off a strong USA team.
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
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