U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Tom Lehman lost in a playoff to Dean Wilson on Sunday, but picked up 180 Ryder Cup points to jump to No. 19 in the standings. (Photo: Getty Images)

Weekly U.S. Ryder Cup Analysis

August 07, 2006

Each week leading up to the 36th Ryder Cup, PGA.com Junior Editor T.J. Auclair will examine the developments on the U.S. Ryder Cup Points Standings and offer his insights. This week, he looks at who gained and who lost after the International at Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Col., which ended on Sunday, August 13.

1. Tiger Woods - 4,150.000
True to his M.O., Woods did not play in the International, as it sits the week before a major championship. If Woods can win the 88th PGA Championship at Medinah Country Club this week, it will be his 12th major title overall and second in as many tries. It would also be his third win in a row.
2. Phil Mickelson - 2,474.375
Lefty, unlike Woods, enjoys tournament play the week before a major. It gets him in competitive mode. However, the reigning PGA and Masters Champion wasn't very competitive at the International. He missed the 36-hole cut -- his first missed cut since the last tournament he played in 2005, the Michelin Championship, a span of 16 events. He stayed at No. 2 this week.
3. Jim Furyk - 2,076.000
Furyk did not play at the International and remained at No. 3 this week.
4. Chad Campbell - 1,129.602
Campbell has not played since the British Open, where he finished 65th. Prior to that finish at Royal Liverpool, the soft-spoken Texan had missed the cut in three consecutive tournaments. He'll look to get back on track this week at Medinah. Campbell kept the No. 4 position in this week's standings.
5. David Toms - 1,072.250
In just his second tournament back since suffering a back injury at the U.S. Open, Toms finished the International with a respectable T19. This should give the 2001 PGA Champion some much-needed confidence as he takes a crack at glory's last shot. Toms stayed at No. 5 this week.
6. Chris DiMarco - 830.000
For the second week in a row, DiMarco missed the cut. He stayed at No. 6 this week.
7. Vaughn Taylor - 780.833
Taylor did not play at the International and remained at No. 7 in this week's standings.
8. J.J. Henry - 778.750
With two double-bogeys on his back nine Saturday, Henry missed the 54-hole cut at the International. The International, because of the Modified Stableford Scoring System, is the only tournament on the PGA Tour that has a cut after both 36 and 54 holes. Henry stayed at No. 8 this week.
9. Zach Johnson - 756.477
It was a disappointing Sunday for Johnson. He entered the final round of the International with sole possession of the lead, but squandered it quickly with a double-bogey out of the gate on the first hole. Despite a beautiful eagle at the 17th hole worth five points, it was too little, too late. Johnson wound up with a 76 Sunday and dropped into a T13. He stayed at No. 9 this week in the standings.
10. Brett Wetterich - 746.000
Wetterich did not play at the International. He stayed at No. 10 in this week's standings.
11. John Rollins - 685.000
Rollins missed the 36-hole cut at Castle Pines, by shooting a 77 in the second round, but managed to keep the No. 11 spot this week.
12. Stewart Cink - 676.894
Cink entered the final round tied for third at the International. After a 1-under-par 71 Sunday, he finished the tournament alone in fifth place. Cink picked up a valuable 120 Ryder Cup points to jump eight spots from No. 20 to No. 12 this week. That was huge for Cink, as even if he doesn't crack the top 10 at the PGA Championship, a serious argument could be made for making him a captain's pick.
13. Jerry Kelly - 653.750
Jerry Kelly did not play in the International. He dropped one spot this week to No. 13.
14. Lucas Glover - 641.376
Glover missed the 54-hole cut at Castle Pines and will need a strong finish at the PGA Championship if he hopes to make the Ryder Cup team. He has yet to make a major championship cut in his young professional career. He dropped one spot to No. 14 this week.
15. Davis Love III - 631.875
Like Glover, Love missed the 54-hole cut at the International. The last time Love was on the outside of the top-10 in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings with one tournament to go was in 1997. That one last tournament, of course, was the PGA Championship, which Love won at Winged Foot -- his lone major title -- to seal his spot on the U.S. squad that went to Spain. Repeating that feat would be remarkable at Medinah. Love dropped one spot to No. 15 this week.
16. Fred Couples - 627.727
Because of rain delays at the International, the second round needed to be completed on Saturday morning. Couples had played 14 holes in his second round on Friday, but did not return to complete his round on Saturday morning. He slipped one position to No. 16 this week.
17. Tim Herron - 621.667
Herron did not play at the International. This week he dropped one spot to No. 17.
18. Tom Pernice Jr. - 615.000
Pernice struggled in the final round at the International, with an even-par 72 on Sunday. He finished tied for 19th and dropped one spot to No. 18 in this week's standings.
19. Tom Lehman - 612.917
The U.S. Ryder Cup captain nearly made things very interesting heading into this week's PGA Championship -- the last tournament to grab Ryder Cup points. A win at the International would have meant Lehman would be No. 7 in the standings. Instead, he lost on the second hole of a playoff to first-time Tour winner Dean Wilson. Lehman was remarkable all week long and picked up 180 Ryder Cup points for his efforts. If he had pulled off the win, Lehman would have been the first player since Jack Nicklaus at the 1986 Masters to win a tournament while serving his captaincy. The Captain jumped 10 spots this week from No. 29 to No. 19.
20. Scott Verplank - 595.667
Verplank did not play in the International. He slipped two spots this week to No. 20.
21. Arron Oberholser - 557.500
Oberholser withdrew from the International after completing nine holes in his second round because of a hip injury. He slid two spots this week to No. 21.
22. Dean Wilson - 543.250
With his maiden win at the International on Sunday, Wilson picked up 375 Ryder Cup points and leapt from No. 67 to No. 21 in the latest standings. If Wilson can pick up an unlikely high finish at the PGA Championship this week (a la Rich Beem in 2002), he could stand an outside shot at being a captain's pick. After all, Captain Lehman saw firsthand the grit of Wilson in Sunday's playoff. Who knows?
23. Brett Quigley - 534.999
Quigley played well for the second week in a row. At the International, he picked up nine points in the final round to finish the tournament tied for 10th. For his efforts, Quigley picked up 6.667 Ryder Cup points. Despite the gain in points, Quigley dropped two spots in this week's standings because of the play of Lehman and Wilson.
24. Billy Mayfair - 489.166
One week after surgery to treat testicular cancer, Mayfair did not play at the International. He is expected to play at the PGA Championship. Mayfair dropped two spots to No. 24 this week.
25. Jeff Sluman - 471.250
Sluman did not play at the International. He slipped two positions and rounds out this week's top 25.