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T.J.'s Team USA Weekly Analysis: April 5-11

The 38th Ryder Cup will be held Oct. 1-3, 2010, at The Celtic Manor Resort in City of Newport, Wales. Each week leading up to the matches, PGA.com Interactive Producer T.J. Auclair will provide analysis of the top 20 U.S. players in the latest standings. Go to the bottom of the page to learn how the U.S. Ryder Cup team is determined.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Phil Mickelson	4,066.24900	1	9

T.J.'s Take: Up until Masters week, Lefty had been playing mediocre golf all season long. He typically feasts on the West Coast Swing, but this year nothing panned out and the best Mickelson had to show for his efforts was a tie for eighth at Pebble Beach. It was the first time since 2003 that Mickelson has gone to Augusta National without a win in his back pocket. Of course, Mickelson's wife and mother, who are both battling and recovering from breast cancer, are weighing heavy on his mind. The slow start -- due to that alone -- should have been no surprise. But with his win at the Masters and a third Green Jacket, Mickelson's stock is way up as he assumes this week's top spot. He's also the leader in the clubhouse for "feel-good story of the year."

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Anthony Kim	3,062.34500	2	3

T.J.'s Take: Let's face it, when AK is playing his best golf few in the world are better. He went to Augusta National skying on confidence after a brilliant win in Houston a week earlier, which was his first on the PGA Tour since the summer of 2008. Battling a thumb injury that may require surgery, Kim still found a way to put together an amazing 7-under 65 on Sunday for a third-place finish at the Masters -- his best result in 10 major starts. Let's hope that thumb injury doesn't have Kim on the shelf for long.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Steve Stricker	2,416.80743	3	1

T.J.'s Take: Stricks has been red-hot pretty much all season long and certainly had to be expecting more from himself than what wound up being a tie for 30th at the Masters. However, he did leave Augusta National on a positive note. Sunday's 1-under 71 was Stricker's lone sub-par round of the week. Sure, he dropped two spots in the standings this week, but with four top 10s, including a win already this season, he'll be just fine.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Hunter Mahan	2,269.00967	4	6

T.J.'s Take: When you think of young, dynamic players, Hunter's got to be considered among the top on that list, right up there with AK. Mahan's 2010 season to this point can be summed up in one word -- solid. A win at the Waste Management Open is among his two top-10 finishes. The other came Sunday at Augusta National, where he tied for eighth playing alongside Masters patron-favorite Fred Couples. Most impressive about Mahan's Masters? All four rounds came in under par.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Lucas Glover	2,132.21600	5	2

T.J.'s Take: This week, the reigning U.S. Open champ dropped three slots in the standings after a tie for 36th at the Masters. Glover has shown consistency in making cuts this season, but other than that, he's been so-so. He should, however, be commended for fighting back at Augusta. After a 4-over 76 in the first round, he bounced back with a 1-under 71 in the second round to make the cut.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Dustin Johnson	2,098.13434	6	4

T.J.'s Take: You know this guy is licking his chops just thinking about the upcoming U.S. Open. And why wouldn't he get ahead of himself? This year's national championship is at Pebble Beach, the same venue where Johnson has gone back-to-back in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. That said, his tie for 38th in the Masters was the direct result of an ugly weekend. He shot a 76 on Saturday and a 75 Sunday.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Tiger Woods	1,946.16300	7	13

T.J.'s Take: You know the deal. After a five-month, self-imposed exile from golf, Tiger returned at Augusta National and tied for fourth to jump six spots in the standings. He admitted afterward that he didn't know when he'd play again this year. However, he did offer in his press conference last Monday that if in fact he qualified for the U.S. Ryder Cup team, he would play. As of right now, he has one of the automatic spots. But, earning a bid is completely dependent on his schedule.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Stewart Cink	1,870.71715	8	5

T.J.'s Take: Holding down the final automatic spot is the reigning Open Champion. He drops three spots this week after a disappointing Masters that was consistent with his recent form. A 76-76 start led to a missed cut for Cink, whose Masters record is a mixed bag of top 10s, missed cuts and everything in between.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Matt Kuchar	1,712.21287	9	8

T.J.'s Take: Up until last week, Kuchar hadn't played in the Masters since a missed cut in 2002. With seven top 10s in 2010, the Georgia Tech product had every reason to be optimistic about this Masters. Unfortunately, if he was hoping to fly under the radar, that wasn't going to happen when he drew Tiger Woods as one of his playing partners for the first two rounds. Even so, Kuchar played admirably and grabbed a tie for 24th.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Jim Furyk	1,648.69941	10	7

T.J.'s Take: Always a favorite to win a major, this Masters was as ugly as it gets for Furyk. A completely uncharacteristic 8-over 80 in the first round pretty much made Friday's round a technicality before a weekend off. Not a whole lot changed from the first day to the second, either, as Furyk shot a 4-over 76. Give him a pass. Furyk was due for a bad week. He hadn't missed a cut since the Verizon Heritage, one week after last year's Masters. That's an impressive run.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Nick Watney	1,463.64775	11	21

T.J.'s Take: His game might not be as flashy as the other young players on Tour, but man is this guy good. Four top 10s in 10 starts this season, including seventh at Augusta National on Sunday thanks to an off the charts, final-round 7-under-65. Easily his best finish in a major and the reason he catapulted 10 positions this week.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Ben Crane	1,445.38869	12	12

T.J.'s Take: A winner at Torrey Pines earlier this season, Crane was looking forward to his first trip to Augusta National in three years. Known as one of the Tour's genuine good guys, Crane pulled in the reigns on two rough middle rounds with a stellar 4-under 68 Sunday and a tie for 24th in his first cut made in three Masters starts.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Bill Haas	1,424.35000	13	11

T.J.'s Take: What's that saying? It takes experience to perform well at Augusta National? The only experience Haas had prior to last week was following his father, Jay, around the hallowed grounds as a kid. The younger Haas must have been taking notes back then, because he finished in a respectable tie for 18th in his very first Masters.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
J.B. Holmes.	1,321.41600	14	10

T.J.'s Take: The long-driving Holmes was not eligible for this year's Masters and dropped four spots.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Ricky Barnes	1,285.53367	15	24

T.J.'s Take: There's something about majors, it appears lately, that brings out the best in Barnes. The former U.S. Amateur champ earned his Augusta start thanks to a surprising tie for second at the 2009 U.S. Open. With a tie for 10th in the Masters, Barnes will be returning to Augusta in 2011. For his efforts, Barnes jumped nine spots this week.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Kenny Perry	1,184.81398	16	16

T.J.'s Take: It was always going to be a tough week back for Perry at Augusta National. A Green Jacket slipped off his broad shoulders in 2009, when he lost a playoff to Angel Cabrera. Perry, ever the grinder, sucked it up and settled for a tie for 24th this time around.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Ryan Palmer	1,162.20200	17	14

T.J.'s Take: Palmer's Masters appearance led to his third consecutive missed cut. A 5-over 77 in the second round did him in. Since a season-opening win at the Sony Open (the first full-field event of the year), it's been a struggle for Palmer.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
David Duval	1,137.25000	18	15

T.J.'s Take: Double D earned his spot at Augusta National after that tie for second at Bethpage Black in the U.S. Open last summer. While Duval insists that his game is coming back into form -- and he has shown flashes of his old self -- this Masters was a rough one. He missed the cut with rounds of 76-75.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Steve Marino	1,096.47300	19	25

T.J.'s Take: Marino liked his first Masters experience so much, that he decided to play well enough to make sure he was back in 2011. Marino finished the season's first major in a tie for 14th and picked up six spots in this week's standings.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Chad Campbell	1,043.29083	20	18

T.J.'s Take: Campbell was the forgotten man in a three-way 2009 Masters playoff that also included Kenny Perry and Angel Cabrera. This time around, it was a miracle that Campbell even made the cut. After opening with a 7-over 79, Campbell bounced back remarkably with a 4-under 68 on Friday to slip into the weekend. The erratic play persisted over the final two days, however, evidenced by Saturday's 8-over 80 and Sunday's 1-under 71 and a tie for 45th.

Team USA Qualifying Process

The United States points system will determine the top eight players for the 2010 United States Ryder Cup Team on August 15. In addition, Captain Corey Pavin selects four players on Sept. 7, 2010, to complete the United States Team. Points are based upon the following:

-- Prize money earned in the 2009 major championships (Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship): One point is awarded for every $1,000 earned; all U.S. players making the cut will earn points.

-- Prize money earned in 2010 "Official" events from Jan. 1 through Aug. 15: One point is awarded for every $1,000 earned, excluding the major championships, events played opposite major championships and events played opposite World Golf Championships; all U.S. players making the cut will earn points.

-- Prize money earned for the 2010 major championships: (Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, and the PGA Championship). Two points are awarded for every $1,000 earned; all U.S. players making the cut will earn points.

Prize money earned in 2010 events played opposite the major championships and opposite World Golf Championships events between Jan. 1 and the PGA Championship, Aug. 15 -- one-half point will be awarded for every $1,000 earned; all U.S. players making the cut will earn points.

Click for complete Team USA Standings