“He has an unbelievable body of work this year. He made it impossible not to pick him”

JIM FURYK sings the praises of Tony Finau as he makes the American his final captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup.

Tony Finau has been selected for the American Ryder Cup team as Jim Furyk’s fourth and final captain’s pick.

His place was announced after he finished tied for eighth at the BMW Championship in Philadelphia.

Furyk chose Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Bryson Dechambeau as his first three picks on 4 September. Finau, pictured, has had 11 top-ten finishes this season, including three in majors.

His appeal is his knack of making birdies, critical in match play. He was paired with Furyk during the first two days at the US PGA Championship, and struggled in the opening round before he tied the championship record by making ten birdies in the second round.

“He has an unbelievable body of work this year,” Furyk said. “All those top-ten finishes, the play in big championships and majors, and his current form, a second, a fourth and an eighth in the [Fedex Cup] play-offs. He checked a lot of boxes and made it impossible not to pick him.”

Eight automatic qualifiers were confirmed after the US PGA Championship, so the start of the Fedex Cup playoffs was effectively an audition. Finau was runner-up (by four shots) in the Northern Trust, and then he tied for fourth at the Dell Technologies Championship.

The US team includes three rookies (Finau, Dechambeau and Justin Thomas) and nine major champions (with 31 total major victories).

The Ryder Cup takes place outside Paris from 28-30 September.