2014 Ryder Cup: Ranking the Players from No. 24 to No. 1
The marathon 2013-14 PGA Tour season wrapped up with last week's FedEx Cup playoff finale at the Tour Championship. Depending on your level of enthusiasm, you either had already been thinking about the Ryder Cup, which begins Friday, or are just now beginning to generate enthusiasm for the biennial event.
Regardless of which side you're rooting for, you want to know who the best players in the competition are.
Here's how to figure that out: We know match play is a different animal. We also know that for those who are perennially the best in the competition, it doesn't seem to matter how well they're playing going into it.
Still, for the rest of the field, recent play is indicative of who should be prepared to play well. Thus, the FedEx Cup standings are a good indicator. A player's position in the Ryder Cup points standing is a less revealing indicator, as point accumulation stopped at the end of the PGA Championship.
Is anyone a better player for his Ryder Cup team than Ian Poulter, even given his off year? Where does world No. 1 Rory McIlroy rank?
Click through to see.
24-21
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24. Stephen Gallacher: Captain's pick Gallacher is appearing in the Ryder Cup for the first time. The 40-year-old is ninth in the Race to Dubai. He missed the cut at the ISPS Handa Wales Open his last time out.
23. Victor Dubuisson: The 24-year-old Frenchman will be competing in the Ryder Cup for the first time. Presently ranked 23rd in the world, Dubuisson tied for 29th at the Omega European Masters, his most recent start.
22. Patrick Reed: Reed finished 19th at the Tour Championship in his most recent start. A rookie on tour last year, this is Reed's first Ryder Cup.
21. Jamie Donaldson: Also appearing in his first Ryder Cup, Donaldson is third in the European Tour's Race to Dubai. He tied for fourth at the ISPS Handa Wales Open last time he teed the ball up.
20-16
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20. Jordan Spieth: The youngest player in the competition, Spieth, 21, is ranked 13th in the world. He finished 15th in the FedEx Cup standings. Spieth tied for 27th at the Tour Championship, his most recent start.
19. Thomas Bjorn: We go from the youngest player in the competition to one of the oldest. The 43-year-old Bjorn has played in three Ryder Cups in his career. He boasts a 3-2-1 record in the competition, which earns him a spot ahead of newbies.
18. Graeme McDowell: G-Mac is a veteran of three Ryder Cup competitions. The 18th-ranked golfer in the world, McDowell's career Cup record is 5-5-2. He tied for 36th at the BMW Championship, his most recent start.
17. Henrik Stenson: The Swede is entering his third Ryder Cup competition. With a 2-3-2 record, he nudges ahead of G-Mac, thanks to a tie for 23rd in his last start (BMW Championship).
16. Webb Simpson: Captain's pick Webb Simpson enters his second Ryder Cup on the heels of a tie for 23rd at the Tour Championship. He finished 25th in the FedEx Cup standings and has a 2-2-0 Ryder Cup record.
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15. Jimmy Walker: Teeing it up for the first time in a Ryder Cup, Walker earns a high position, thanks to sustained solid play and an even-keeled demeanor that should serve him well. Walker tied for 17th his last time out at the Tour Championship.
14. Martin Kaymer: Appearing in his third Ryder Cup, Kaymer's career record in the competition stands at 3-2-1. The U.S. Open champion finished 16th in the race for the FedEx Cup and tied for 23rd in his last start.
13. Matt Kuchar: Tiger Woods' running mate at Medinah in 2012, Kuchar has a 3-2-2 record in two Ryder Cup appearances. Kuchar tied for 13th at the Tour Championship, his most recent start.
12. Hunter Mahan: Winner of The Barclays, Mahan finished sixth in the FedEx Cup standings. Mahan has a 3-2-3 career record at the Ryder Cup and edges Kuchar out thanks to a better playoff performance.
11. Rickie Fowler: A fixture on the first page of the leaderboard in major championships this season, Fowler doesn't have a great record (0-1-2) in the Ryder Cup. He does, however, have a recently retooled swing and a newfound ability to perform in the most significant tournaments.
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10. Bubba Watson: Watson will be competing in the third Ryder Cup competition of his career. He finished fifth in the FedEx Cup standings and placed 14th in his last start (the Tour Championship). Watson didn't place worse than 30th in any playoff event.
9. Zach Johnson: With a 6-4-1 career record, Johnson is the first American with a winning record on our list. The Iowan finished 21st at the Tour Championship and 18th in the FedEx Cup.
8. Phil Mickelson: While Lefty didn't play well in the playoffs, he enters the Ryder Cup after several weeks of rest. And although his career record (14-18-6) is sub-.500, he is a U.S. team stalwart who has 14 career match victories, thus the high ranking.
7. Justin Rose: With a 6-3-0 mark in the Ryder Cup, Rose has established himself as a solid contributor to the European squad. Rose tied for fourth at the Tour Championship. He finished 11th in the FedEx Cup.
6. Keegan Bradley: Impressive and impassioned in his Ryder Cup debut at Medinah, Bradley was 3-1-0 in the competition. Although he didn't qualify on points, Bradley had to be on this team as he was one of the few bright spots in the gloom that enveloped Medinah for the American side.
5. Lee Westwood
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Ryder Cup record: 18-13-6
FedEx Cup standing: 107
Last three starts: T57: The Barclays; T15: PGA Championship; T19: WGC-Bridgestone Invitational
Why he's here: Of the players competing this year, only Mickelson has more Ryder Cup appearances (10, including 2014) than Lee Westwood (9). Westy's 18 wins and record well above .500 earn him a spot in the top five, even though his FedEx Cup performance wasn't impressive.
A veteran with an impressive record, Westwood should play well in Scotland.
4. Jim Furyk
6 of 9
Ryder Cup record: 9-17-4
FedEx Cup standing: 4
Last three starts: T2: Tour Championship; T4: BMW Championship; T23: Deutsche Bank Championship
Why he's here: Jim Furyk did everything short of winning this season, and he finished inside the top five in his two most recent starts. While he's struggled in the Ryder Cup in his career, only Billy Horschel was better in the final two events of the season.
3. Sergio Garcia
7 of 9
Ryder Cup record: 16-8-4
FedEx Cup standing: 13
Last three starts: T9: Tour Championship; T4: BMW Championship; T57: The Barclays
Why he's here: Excluding halves, Sergio Garcia has won matches at a 2-to-1 pace across his Ryder Cup career. He has been a stalwart of the European side across the past six competitions. He's also been playing high-quality golf recently, finishing inside the top 10 in his last two starts.
2. Ian Poulter
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Ryder Cup record: 12-3-0
FedEx Cup standing: 78
Last three starts: T23: Deutsche Bank Championship; Cut: The Barclays; T58: PGA Championship
Why he's here: Forget about his recent play. Ian Poulter is an animal in the Ryder Cup. He's among those with the best win percentages of all time in the competition. He'll enter the tournament buoyed by several weeks of practice and rest at home in Florida...and he's raring to go.
1. Rory McIlroy
9 of 9
Ryder Cup record: 4-3-2
FedEx Cup standing: 3
Last three starts: T2: Tour Championship; T8: BMW Championship; T5: Deutsche Bank Championship
Why he's here: Rory McIlroy is here because he is the best golfer in the world. While he didn't win a playoff event, he finished inside the top 10 in the final three tournaments. He's won three of his last seven starts, including the season's final two majors.
He showed this year that he has ability to play his best in big events, and his game is on point from tee to green. At 25, he should be rejuvenated by the week of rest and be a force in this competition.
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