The most veteran of U.S. Ryder Cup players is Phil Mickelson. Mickelson's 10 consecutive starts is more than any American in the event's history.
On Sunday -- with a T2 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic -- Mickelson took a significant step toward locking up an astounding 11th consecutive Ryder Cup appearance. With the T2, Lefty jumped from No. 6 to No. 3 in the latest Ryder Cup USA standings.
Mickelson wasn't the only player in the top 10 to make a move, as Brooks Koepka climbed from No. 10 to No. 7 with a T2.
Memphis winner Daniel Berger soared from No. 25 to No. 12 with his first career PGA Tour victory.
This week's U.S. Open at Oakmont is a chance for U.S. players to collect double Ryder Cup points, so we can expect the potential for some serious shuffling come next Monday.
Since the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine in Chaska, Minn., will be played in an Olympic year (with golf included in the Games for the first time since 1904), there have been some adjustments made to the qualifying calendar for Ryder Cup USA.
Here are the key qualifying dates:
- Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016: The top eight will be finalized at the conclusion of The Barclays, which is scheduled to finish on this date, as opposed to the traditional closing of points at the conclusion of the PGA Championship, which will be played in July instead of August in 2016 due to the Olympics. It also affords players an additional two weeks from past years to earn a spot on points.
- Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016: Love will select three of his four Captain's Picks at the conclusion of the BMW Championship, scheduled to end on this day.
- Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016: Love will make his fourth and final Captain's Pick at the conclusion of the Tour Championship, scheduled to end on this day.
