Rating the Top 8 Contenders for Ryder Cup Captain's Picks

Three-quarters of Davis Love III’s United States Ryder Cup team is now official with the closing of qualification period after the PGA Championship.

All that’s left is the announcement are the four captain’s choices, decided Sept. 4 after the Deutsche Bank Championship. There is much speculation about who among the non-qualifiers will hear Love’s voice on the phone when they pick it up that morning.

There is a group of eight players who seem to warrant consideration and of those it appears Hunter Mahan, Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk have the inside track.

But if somebody gets hot over the next three weeks, that player could upset the preliminary plans in place. That leaves five players for one spot.

Here’s a breakdown of all eight.

A Good Year for Hunter Mahan, but Not Quite Good Enough

It says something about the quality of the eight Ryder Cup hopefuls that a guy like Hunter Mahan, who has won twice this year, has four top 10 and 11 top 25 finishes, didn’t make the team straight up.

He finished tied for 12th at the Masters, tied for 38th at the U.S. Open and finished 19th at the Open Championship. He missed the cut at PGA Championship last week.

He is 9th on the Ryder Cup points list.

Steve Stricker's Golden Putting Stroke Will Be Big for the U.S.

Steve Stricker is still one of the best putters in the game. As such, he figures to be an almost automatic captain's pick. Somebody who can make putts under pressure is invaluable on the Ryder Cup.

Stricker is ranked 10th in the World Golf Rankings, the same place he finished in the Ryder Cup points list.

He won the Hyundai Tournament of Champions to start the season and has tied for fifth, 23rd, second and seventh in his last four weeks.

He was in the top 25 in three of the four majors this year (T47 in the Masters). He’s played on two previous Ryder Cup teams.

Adding Jim Furyk Would Be Davis Love III's Best Move Yet

Jim Furyk hasn’t won since capturing the Tour Championship in 2010. That explains in large part why he's on the outside looking in as far as the Ryder Cup team is concerned.

But Davis Love III knows what veteran leadership and experience can mean and choosing Furyk would put Furyk on his eighth Ryder Cup team.

With a pair or runner-up finishes, five top 10s and 10 top 25s this year, he’s been solid.

He’s also been fairly solid in the majors. He was the 36 and 54-hole leader at the Olympic Club and nearly won the U.S. Open until snap-hooking his tee shot on 16 and making double bogey.

Rickie Fowler Would Give the U.S. Team Some Wow Factor

Rickie Fowler has a win and a second-place finish this year.

He played on the Ryder Cup team as a captain’s pick in 2010 and did well, registering an exciting singles win over Edoardo Molinari on Sunday.

He’d be the youngest of the captain’s picks and is very capable of providing some much needed youthful enthusiasm.

He could have helped his chances by playing better in the majors. He tied for 27th at the Masters and 41st at the U. S. Open Championship, he also tied for 31st at the Open Championship. He missed the cut at the PGA Championship.

Snedeker Stalled in Mid Year and Comes Up Short Against Guys Playing Better

This hasn’t been a great season for Brandt Snedeker.

Since tying for ninth in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, Snedeker went nine events before registering another top 10 finish—a third in the Open Championship.

He followed that up with ties for 34th and 50th and a missed cut.

Thanks for coming, drive home safely, Brandt. Better luck getting that first Ryder Cup spot in 2014.

Long Distance Dustin Johnson a Long Shot for Ryder Cup

Dustin Johnson has entered 15 events this year. In eight of those, his finishes were all out of the top 10.

He won the FedEx St. Jude Classic but missed nearly three months with a rib injury and has not gotten back into the swing of things.

It really does no good to have a guy on the team who can consistently hit the ball 320 yards if he doesn’t know where it’s going.

Every Team Needs a Grinder, Bo Van Pelt's That Guy

Every team needs a grinder and Bo Van Pelt is a super grinder.

He finished 14th on the Ryder Cup list and would provide captain Love a battler, even though he’s not played in any professional team event.

Van Pelt has made a habit of showing up on PGA Tour leaderboards and has registered eight top 10 finishes.

There have been lesser players than Van Pelt on Ryder Cup teams. Remember Jeff Overton, Ben Curtis, Chad Campbell?

Better Followup to Spectacular 2011 Season Would Have Earned Haas a Berth

Bill Haas had a big year in 2011, winning both the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup to put him in the running for a spot on the Ryder Cup team.

While he’s won once, his season has not been sparkling and he just hasn’t built up enough points, finishing 17th in the Ryder Cup points standings.

He’s never played on a Ryder Cup team and there has to be some doubt about where his game is exactly and how he’ll handle Ryder Cup pressure.