There are only two events left in the PGA Tour season, but that could still be plenty of time to claim a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
After this week’s BMW Championship, the top six in the U.S. Ryder Cup Rankings will qualify for Rome. Then, six captain’s picks will be made after the Tour Championship. There are several players who are currently on the outside looking in, but a big week in the Tour’s penultimate event can help them enter the thick of the Ryder Cup conversation.
Here are four players outside the top 15 who could begin a move up the U.S. Rankings with a timely performance at Olympia Fields and strengthen their case for claiming one of the U.S. Team’s 12 roster spots.
Lucas Glover
Current Ryder Cup Ranking: 16
Minimum finish to enter top 12 in U.S. Ranking: Three-way tie for third
In the last two weeks, Glover has sparked one of the biggest debates in golf: Should he make the Ryder Cup team?
"Right now, yes," Glover said on Sunday when asked if he’d pick himself for the U.S. Team after claiming his second win in as many weeks at the FedExCup St. Jude Championship. "Playing pretty good golf, and I think I'd be pretty good in the team room and be a good partner, so yeah, absolutely I would."
Entering the Wyndham Championship, the 43-year-old was 64th in the Ryder Cup Rankings. Now, he’s 16th — and fourth in the FedExCup. To say he’s been hot may be an understatement. At the Memorial, Glover switched to a broomstick putter, which has been a remedy for his putting yips that have plagued him for a decade. Since July, Glover’s lowest finish, besides a missed cut at the 3M Open, is a T-6 at the John Deere Classic. Also, he’s shot in the 60s in 21 of his last 22 Tour rounds. His recent heater has many already advocating for the 2009 U.S. Open champion to make his first Ryder Cup, but a strong finish to the season could ensure it.
Kurt Kitayama
Current Ryder Cup Ranking: 17
Minimum finish to enter top 12 in U.S. Ranking: Solo second
The 30-year-old has missed half of his cuts since winning at Bay Hill in March. However, if Kitayama can muster a well-timed performance this week and get back into the Ryder Cup conversation, he may have a leg up against those also vying for one of the U.S. Team’s final berths.
At last year’s Italian Open on the DP World Tour, contested at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, the site of this year’s Ryder Cup, Kitayama was one of the few Americans in the field — and finished an impressive seventh. Meanwhile, many stalwarts of the European Team have ample experience at Marco Simone and have posted strong results there. U.S. Captain Zach Johnson knows his squad doesn’t have as many reps at Marco Simone as their counterparts, which is why he’s planning a scouting trip to Rome ahead of the Ryder Cup. Therefore, if Kitayama can get hot to finish the season, his success at Marco Simone may help him in nabbing a captain’s pick. But with his season in jeopardy of ending early as he sits 33rd in the FedExCup, Kitayama needs to make a move at Olympia Fields. Maybe, that sends him to Rome.
Russell Henley
Current Ryder Cup Ranking: 21
Minimum finish to enter top 12 in U.S. Ranking: Solo second
Besides Glover, Henley might be the hottest player in the sport, with a runner-up and T-6 in the past two weeks. Now, he comes to a course that demands precision off the tee (the 2020 BMW field hit 48% of its fairways), which should be music to Henley’s ears, because he’s first on Tour this season in driving accuracy. Sitting 15th in the FedExCup, the 34-year-old has locked up a spot in the Tour Championship for the first time in six years. However, continuing his hot streak at Olympia Fields, where he placed T-25 in 2020, will definitely help has case to earn a spot on the U.S. Team.
Tony Finau
Current Ryder Cup Ranking: 21
Minimum finish to enter top 12 in U.S. Ranking: Win
Playoff Tony didn’t get off to the start he hoped for by finishing 64th in Memphis and dropping two spots in the U.S. Rankings. Luckily for him, he placed fifth at Olympia Fields in 2020 and was one of just five players under par. He did that ranking fourth in driving distance that week, but T-66 in driving accuracy. A little cleaner off the tee this time around, and Finau, who had his first top-10 since April at the 3M Open late last month, might be able to rediscover his playoff dominance (15 postseason top-10s since 2017) and propel himself to a third straight Ryder Cup nod.
