Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Ryder Cup hopefuls get a stressful chance to impress Furyk
ST. LOUIS — In the final week for Americans to qualify for the Ryder Cup team, Tony Finau and Xander Schauffele wound up in the same group as U.S. captain Jim Furyk at the PGA Championship.
Furyk says it was just a coincidence.
“I think it’s a great pairing for me,” Furyk said. “It probably isn’t the best pairing for them.”
Furyk has been around long enough to understand the additional pressure of the PGA Championship in a Ryder Cup year. It is effectively two tournaments in one — the final major of the year and one last chance to avoid having to audition as a captain’s pick.
Furyk had to rely on a pick in 2012, and he wasn’t so fortunate in 2016, when he finished 15th in the points and went to Hazeltine as a vice captain.
“It’s stressful,” he said. “I think you’re already on edge going into a major championship with an opportunity. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves as players. It’s like there’s two scoreboards — one for playing and one you’re checking out the guys around you. But what you have to keep reminding yourself as a player is you really have a job to do this week.”
That’s why he sent a text to Schauffele, the PGA Tour rookie of the year last season who contended deep into the British Open on Sunday until a bogey on the 17th hole left him two shots behind. He moved to No. 11, and with one-and-ahalf the value of points for everyone but the winner at Bellerive, this is a big chance.
If not, the 25-year-old from San Diego might see this as an audition.
“I was trading some information with Xander. I just wrote a little text saying, ‘Boy, I saw you got the bad end of the stick on the pairings this week.’ A little smiley face came back on the text. I probably will let them both know I didn’t ask for it and just go play golf and have fun.”
The top four players already have clinched a spot for the Sept. 28-30 matches in France — Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas and Patrick Reed. They are followed by Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson, who has a narrow lead over Bryson DeChambeau.
Phil Mickelson is at No. 10, and there is pride at stake. Mickelson has never had to rely on being a captain’s pick, dating to his first team he made in 1995.