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T.J.'s Team USA Weekly Analysis: July 14-20

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	5,768.74900	1	1

T.J.'s Take: Lefty still can't seem to put his finger on success at the Open Championship. By far his worst major to compete in, Mickelson tied for 48th at St. Andrews. His final nine holes weren't much fun Sunday, as he turned in a 6-over 41 for a final-round 3-over 75, his worst score of the week.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Steve Stricker	3,402.67600	2	2

T.J.'s Take: One week after winning the John Deere Classic, Stricker tied for 55th at the Open Championship. Certainly not his best showing, but a little letdown is typical, if not expected, the week after a win. Even still, Stricker has become the type of player who you expect to contend in majors.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Jim Furyk	3,280.08500	3	2

T.J.'s Take: With rounds of 77-73, Furyk missed the cut at St. Andrews. Furyk has always been known for his consistency and he rarely misses a cut. The MC at St. Andrews marked Furyk's third missed cut this season and second in a major (he also missed at the Masters with rounds of 80-76). The only other times in his career that Furyk has missed the cut in more than one major were 2002 and 2004. Does this make 2010 a disappointment? No way. He's got multiple wins for the first time since 2006.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Anthony Kim	3,062.34500	4	4

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

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Lucas Glover	2,980.87400	5	5

T.J.'s Take: Glover was in line for a solid Open Championship finish, but was left to settle for a T48 after a disappointing 4-over 76 in the final round.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Dustin Johnson	2,936.13800	6	6

T.J.'s Take: We all wondered how Johnson would bounce back in his first major since that heart-breaking final round of the U.S. Open. Now we have the answer: not bad at all. Johnson tied for 14th at St. Andrews, which was his best finish in an Open Championship.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Tiger Woods	2,773.30500	7	7

T.J.'s Take: This was supposed to be the week Tiger gave everyone something other than his personal life to talk about. Instead, the headline was his inability to make putts with a new Nike putter before switching back to his trusty Scotty Cameron putter in the final round. Tiger was in the mix at St. Andrews after the first round, and drove the ball exceptionally well. But, the putts wouldn't fall. In the end, he left Scotland with a tie for 23rd.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Matt Kuchar	2,725.20900	8	8

T.J.'s Take: Kuchar saved his best for last, firing a 2-under 69 at St. Andrews on Sunday, thanks to a terrific eagle on the 72nd hole to finish in a tie for 27th. Nice work by Kuchar, who entered in the final round tied for 52nd.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Jeff Overton	2,629.84800	9	12

T.J.'s Take: You really can't say enough about the 27-year-old Overton. A win can't be that far away. The Open Championship was Overton's first major start of the season and he parlayed it into a tie for 11th - his best performance in a major. Overton battled the elements to play his final 54 holes in an impressive 6 under. His result at the Open equaled Overton's seventh top-15 finish of 2010. This week he jumped three spots in the standings and into the top 10.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Ricky Barnes	2,579.30100	10	9

T.J.'s Take: In the past two years, Barnes has established himself as a player to watch in the majors. That was certainly the case over the weekend at St. Andrews, as he entered the final round in a tie for eighth. However, his chances at a top-5 finish were derailed with a 5-over 77 on Sunday in a round that included two double bogeys on the back nine. Barnes tied for 44th and dropped one spot this week.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Hunter Mahan	2,577.01700	11	10

T.J.'s Take: Mahan's tie for 37th at St. Andrews wasn't exactly dazzling, but it is definitely a step in the right direction. The recently engaged Mahan snapped a four-tournament missed-cut streak with his Open Championship performance. Hopefully he's found something and is beginning to figure his swing out. He proved himself a huge asset to the U.S. side at Valhalla in 2008. He dropped one spot this week.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Ben Crane	2,486.46900	12	11

T.J.'s Take: It was a quick trip over the pond for Crane. With rounds of 72-76, he missed the cut and dropped one spot in the standings.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Stewart Cink	2,394.03300	13	13

T.J.'s Take: The defending Open Champion tied for 48th at St. Andrews, a finish that was consistent with his last three starts. Cink did say, however, that he felt he hit the ball the best he has all year last week and just couldn't buy a putt. With the Bridgestone Invitational around the corner at Firestone, we'll see where Cink really stands with his game - he has a great track record in Akron.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Nick Watney	2,297.97400	14	20

T.J.'s Take: Watney jumped six spots in the standings this week with a tie for seventh at St. Andrews. That, along with Watney's seventh-place finish at the Masters, means he's enjoying his most successful major season yet.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Rickie Fowler	2,259.37000	15	17

T.J.'s Take: Kudos to the young Fowler who jumped two spots this week. It looked as though his long trek to St. Andrews for his first Open Championship would be short-lived after a 7-over 79 in the first round. Instead, Fowler fought back like a feisty veteran and would not be denied a weekend tee time, firing a 5-under 67 in the second round to make the cut on the number. From there, he enjoyed an outstanding weekend with scores of 71-67 to finish in a tie for 14th.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Bubba Watson	2,202.31900	16	14

T.J.'s Take: Watson missed the cut with rounds of 74-73 and dropped two spots this week.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Bo Van Pelt	2,156.33400	17	15

T.J.'s Take: After a torrid stretch of golf since the middle of April, Van Pelt might finally be cooling off just a tad with a tie for 44th at the Open. He dropped two spots in this week's standings.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
J.B. Holmes	2,129.01000	18	19

T.J.'s Take: Holmes picked up his best finish in a major with a tie for 14th at St. Andrews. Impressively, he didn't shoot a single over-par round all week. With the effort, Holmes moved up one spot this week.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Sean O'Hair	2,122.57400	19	N/A

T.J.'s Take: O'Hair broke into this week's top-20 thanks to a tie for seventh at St. Andrews, which is his best finish in a major. O'Hair has not finished outside of the top 12 in five of his last six starts.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Zach Johnson	2,118.39700	20	16

T.J.'s Take: Johnson tied for 76th at St. Andrews and dropped four spots in the week's standings.

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

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Phil Mickelson	5,726.48700	1	1

T.J.'s Take: Lefty did not play in the John Deere Classic, opting instead for his usual week-before-the-British Open tune-up at Loch Lomond and the Scottish Open. With rounds of 71-74, Mickelson missed the cut. And, since it's a European Tour event, regardless of Mickelson's performance, he would not have been eligible for U.S. Ryder Cup points.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Steve Stricker	3,364.58300	2	8

T.J.'s Take: We've got a new No. 2. Jumping six spots in this week's U.S. standings is Steve Stricker thanks to his second victory of the season and his second in as many years at the John Deere Classic. With the Greater Milwaukee Open no longer being played - and even when it was in recent years it was opposite the British Open - the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Ill., is as close to a home game as Wisconsin native Stricker gets. To win once at "home" is remarkable. To win twice must have him over the moon. At 26-under par for the week, Stricker was six shots better in his 2010 victory than he was in 2009. That's almost unheard of. Also unheard of was the fact that Ryder Cup assistant captain Paul Goydos fired what was just the fourth 59 in PGA Tour history during last Thursday's opening round. That was only good enough for a one-shot lead over Stricker, who countered with a 60 later in the day. Great win for Stricks. Here's to hoping he snags that elusive major in the near future, if not this week. It's the only thing missing from his rejuvenated career.

Player	Points	This Week	Last Week
Jim Furyk	3,280.08500	3	2