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T.J.'s Team USA Weekly Analysis: May 25-31

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	4,901.24900	1	1

T.J.'s Take: Lefty got off to a great start at the Colonial with birdies on his first two holes of the tournament. However, it was all downhill from there. Mickelson missed the cut with rounds of 71-73. It was his first missed cut of the season in 11 starts. He'll look to bounce back this week at the Memorial.

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

T.J.'s Take: Did not play.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Jim Furyk	2,875.78200	3	3

T.J.'s Take: It's a fact - you must go low to have any chance at Colonial. Furyk didn't do that in the first round with a 2-over 72. He fired a solid 3-under 67 in the second round, but missed the cut by a shot. It was Furyk's second missed cut of the season and first since the Masters.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Lucas Glover	2,855.55400	4	4

T.J.'s Take: Coming off his best finish of the year - third-place at The Players Championship - Glover turned in a tie for 44th at Colonial. His best effort? No. But, he can take a huge positive away from Fort Worth. Glover's 4-under 66 on Sunday was by far his best final-round score of the 2010 season and his only final round in the 60s thus far. He also tied his lowest score of the season with a 65 in the second round.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Hunter Mahan	2,509.80900	5	5

T.J.'s Take: With rounds of 73-67, Mahan missed the cut. After three consecutive top-17 finishes, Mahan now has a tie for 50th and a missed cut in his last two starts.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Steve Stricker	2,442.84700	6	6

T.J.'s Take: Back from injury and playing for the first time since the Masters, Colonial defending champion Steve Stricker had a respectable tie for 38th in his return from the disabled list.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Dustin Johnson	2,375.01500	7	7

T.J.'s Take: Did not play.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Ben Crane	2,352.28900	8	9

T.J.'s Take: The first player to move in this week's standings is Crane, who tied for third and recorded his third consecutive top-7 finish. Making the week extra special for Crane is the fact that in his second-round, 6-under 64, he recorded a hole-in-one at the par-3 13th hole. He moves up one spot this week.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Stewart Cink	2,086.18700	9	8

T.J.'s Take: Four rounds in the 60s is always a good thing. At Colonial, that spelled a tie for 22nd for Cink. Even still it wasn't enough to keep Cink from slipping one slot this week in the standings.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Matt Kuchar	1,992.70000	10	10

T.J.'s Take: It wasn't his best effort of the year, but Kuchar left Texas on a high note with a 4-under 66 in the final round and a tie for 56th. He holds down the No. 10 spot this week.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Tiger Woods	1,946.16300	11	11

T.J.'s Take: Did not play.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Zach Johnson	1,890.36600	12	N/A

T.J.'s Take: When you shoot back-to-back 64s on the weekend, you deserve to win. Throwing in a little 65 in the first round isn't so bad either. That's precisely what Johnson did on his way to his seventh career PGA Tour victory and third win overall in the Lone Star State. Johnson has proven time and again that he's a force to be reckoned with when he's anywhere within a sniff of the lead. His win on Sunday was dominating - three shots ahead of second-place finisher Brian Davis. With the triumph, Johnson - who wasn't even among the top-20 in the standings just a week ago - catapulted to No. 12 in the standings this week. He is the perfect type of Ryder Cup player. Expect the good vibes to stick with Johnson in the coming weeks and months.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Jeff Overton	1,839.76900	13	17

T.J.'s Take: Just last week we wrote in this space that Overton has become one of the more dynamic and fun younger players to watch on Tour the last two years. With that, he made us look like geniuses at Colonial. Overton battled his way to a tie for third. It was his third top-3 of the season and second in as many starts. This young gun keeps knocking on the door and one day soon he's going to kick it in. This week, he jumps four spots in the standings.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Ricky Barnes	1,752.12700	14	15

T.J.'s Take: Just when we thought Barnes cooled off after two missed cuts in an otherwise stellar season, he bounces right back and finishes in a tie for seventh at the Colonial. It was the fourth top-10 of the season for Barnes, who moved up one spot this week and continues to make a case as to why he should be representing the U.S. in Wales.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Nick Watney	1,698.33000	15	12

T.J.'s Take: Did not play.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Jason Bohn	1,667.25500	16	14

T.J.'s Take: Did not play.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
J.B. Holmes	1,652.15500	17	13

T.J.'s Take: Did not play and dropped four spots.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Bill Haas	1,621.47000	18	16

T.J.'s Take: It's just an unfair week in this week's standings, folks. Haas bogeyed his final two holes on Sunday for a 1-over 71 and a tie for 13th. He dropped two places this week.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Bo Van Pelt	1,525.81700	19	19

T.J.'s Take: Much like Overton, Van Pelt has been knocking on the door of victory quite often lately. That trend continued at Colonial, where Van Pelt recorded four rounds in the 60s and finished in a tie for 10th to maintain his No. 19 spot this week.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Kenny Perry	1,447.94900	20	18

T.J.'s Take: Perry closes out this week's top 20, dropping two spots this week after a tie for 22nd at Colonial, where he's a former champion. Expect Perry to play well again this week at Memorial, as well. He's a two-time champion in Dublin, Ohio.

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