Predicting the Members of the Next United States Ryder Cup Team
Considering the upheaval and controversy surrounding the United States Ryder Cup team and its string of dismal performances in recent years, the task of predicting the members of the 2016 U.S. contingent seemed to border on lunacy.
But hey, look at it this way. It's 2014, meaning almost two full years will pass by before that time is determined. There will be nine qualifiers through a points process and three captain's pick choices, assuming those two premises are not trashed by the newly formed Ryder Cup task force.
In my list of 12, you'll find a couple things: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk are not on the team. Who knows what kind of condition and what kind of game Woods will have by then? Mickelson will be 46 by then, and based on how he played in 2014, he might not qualify again. Furyk is in a similar spot except he had a really good year on the PGA Tour, and who knows if he'll be able to do it again between now and 2016.
The other thing you'll notice is it's loaded with youth—guys who don't carry the scars of recent Ryder Cup failures and will be hungry to end the losing streak.
Rickie Fowler
1 of 12
Based solely on their performances at Gleneagles, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed will be regulars on Ryder Cup teams for years to come.
In his rookie Ryder Cup experience, Fowler was 0-1-2, halving two matches with a partner and losing his singles match.
Fowler was a dominant player this summer, chasing Rory McIlroy and developing into a big-time player and a guy who can take the heat in the game's toughest moments.
He hasn't won a tournament since 2012, but based on the way he has played this year, that will be coming in the not-too-distant future.
If you give him another two years of maturity he should become a Ryder Cup stud.
Jordan Spieth
2 of 12
Jordan Spieth would certainly agree that his 2014 season on the PGA Tour wasn't nearly as good as his 2013 campaign.
He picked up his first career win as a professional in 2013, and his best finishes in 2014 were a tie for second in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and a T2 at the Masters behind Bubba Watson.
But he still was pretty darn good for a youngster of just 21 years old.
Spieth posted a 2-1-1 record in the Ryder Cup and showed that same combination of determination, skill and maturity beyond his years.
With another two years under his belt, expect Spieth to be dominator in 2016.
Harris English
3 of 12
Harris English has a lot going for him in his still-young PGA Tour career.
For starters, he's 6'3", averages just short of 300 yards (299.2) and has a PGA Tour victory under his belt, the OHL Classic at Mayakoba.
He didn't make the 2014 Ryder Cup team because he didn't play quite well enough to pile up the necessary points, finishing 16th in the Ryder Cup points standings.
Harris is still a youngster in the game at 25 years old. By the time the next Ryder Cup is contested, he'll be regarded as one of the top players in the game and will get to show that off at Hazeltine.
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Patrick Reed
4 of 12
Patrick Reed may not win many Mr. Congeniality prizes, but the young man knows about match play.
In his first Ryder Cup experience, Reed posted a 3-0-1 record, which just happened to be the best record on the woeful United States team.
In college, he helped Augusta State win a pair of NCAA titles and was undefeated in match play in those two years.
His sometimes abrasive personality will hopefully soften over the next couple years, and if it does he could become a Ryder Cup leader for a long time.
And if he continues to play as well he did at Gleaneagles, he'll have a chance to become that top-five player he called himself in front of the media back in March after his win at Doral (via SBNation).
Billy Horschel
5 of 12
When Billy Horschel's season ended (one week too early for many golf fans), he was the hottest player in the world.
He won two of the last three FedEx Cup events, including the Tour Championship, which made him a very rich young man.
Horschel wasn't on the United States Ryder Cup team because the Tour Championship came two weeks after Tom Watson's captain's choices had been made.
The U.S. needs more of that emotional edge on its 12-man team, and based on his emergence in 2014, Horschel should be and will be part of that for many years.
Cameron Tringale
6 of 12
Cameron Tringale's breakout season on the PGA Tour signals what should begin his ascent into the elite of professional golf.
He has a complete game, enough power, a short game that's very good and the kind of mental strength that will be necessary as he plays his way to stardom.
He's probably not as well-known as most of the guys on this list, but he can play. Because players like Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Steve Furyk and even Tiger Woods most likely won't be Ryder Cup players in 2016 because of age or injury or both, opportunities could exist for players like Tringale.
Ryan Moore
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Ryan Moore is entering the prime of his career just short of his 32nd birthday.
He has been a very productive golfer over the years and has made a little over $18 million.
He hasn't won a major title, but he's top 25 and 25 respectively in fairways and greens hits.
Those kind of players are very valuable in the Ryder Cup.
In 2004, he had one of the great seasons in amateur golf history. Moore won the U.S. Amateur, the Western Amateur, the U.S. Public Links and the NCAA individual championship.
He knows how to win, having bagged three wins on the PGA Tour.
Chris Kirk
8 of 12
The point can be debated as much or as little as you like, but a case could definitely have been made for Chris Kirk to be a captain's choice onto the 2014 Ryder Cup team.
The University of Georgia product won twice this year and won the Deutsche Bank Championship the day before U.S. captain Tom Watson announced his three picks. But in another baffling decision by Watson, he chose to go with Webb Simpson's Ryder Cup experience with Bubba Watson, despite Simpson's lack of productivity this year.
Kirk finished 11th in the Ryder Cup points standings this year, and based on how he's grown as a player, he could be one of the core young guys on that team starting in 2016.
Brooks Koepka
9 of 12
Brooks Koepka chose the road less traveled as a young golf professional, opting to start his journey to the PGA Tour across the Atlantic on the European Challenge Tour. That is the European Tour's equivalent of the Web.com Tour.
He won three times there, gaining a promotion to the European Tour in 2013, and it's been a steady rise ever since.
Koepka made 16 starts last year on the PGA Tour and made 12 cuts. He posted a T4 in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, earning a spot in the 2015 Open. He's playing this year with a tour card and is off to a quick start.
He finished sixth in driving distance last year, and his statistics show potential for Koepka to be a solid, if not really good, PGA Tour star.
Keep an eye on this 24-year-old.
Matt Kuchar
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Matt Kuchar won one match and lost three for the United States team in 2014.
He's now 4-5-2 in three Ryder Cup appearances.
That doesn't make him special, but those four wins tie him for fourth among players on this year's team.
Kuchar's struggles in the Ryder Cup make you wonder if there's a connection between him not being able to win a major and not being able to be more of a force in the Ryder Cup.
But even at age 36, Kuchar has shown he still has game left, and he would make a solid veteran presence on what figures to be a young 2016 Ryder Cup team.
Brendon Todd
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Brendon Todd put himself in the middle of the Ryder Cup conversation when he went on a six-event tear that included five top-10 finishes and a top 20. All of a sudden a guy very much under the radar was making headlines.
He wasn't able to sustain that run, but at 29 years of age, he's still in a position to make a difference on Ryder Cup teams.
What he really has going for him is an exquisite short game. Look at his numbers in that category, and you can see why a guy with that skill set would be a big help in an event like the Ryder Cup.
Now all he has to do is continue to play well and get on that team in 2016.
Bubba Watson
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Bubba Watson has played in three Ryder Cups and one Presidents Cup competition and has a record of 6-10-0.
In other words, he's not been very good. Actually he's been lousy.
And with the Presidents Cup coming up on the schedule at the end of next season, Watson is second on the points list to qualify for a spot. That means another captain, this time Jay Haas, will be saddled with a guy who has won two Masters, has lots of hype but rarely produces in team events.
And if he continues to play at the level he has been, chances are he'll be a weight around the 2016 Ryder Cup captain's neck because he'll qualify for the team.
And you can't even say he'll be a help because of his experience. That doesn't work when the experience has been bad.
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