Captain Jim Furyk’s Team USA Ryder Cup picks were spot on

American Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk picks Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods as Team USA attempts to win on European soil for the first time since 1993.

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk didn’t take long to end the suspense over who he would pick to represent the Americans in Paris.

“I’m going to cut to the chase. The three members of the team are Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods,” Furyk began his press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

With that, DeChambeau, Mickelson and Woods joined the eight players who automatically qualified in taking on Team Europe at Le Golf National beginning on Sept. 28.

DeChambeau made Furyk’s decision easy after capturing the first two events of the FedEx Cup playoffs, The Northern Trust and Dell Technologies Championship. The 25-year-old will be making his first Ryder Cup appearance, the second rookie along with Justin Thomas on an American team not lacking in experience.

“I guess thanks, you made it really easy on the captain,” Furyk said.

The selection of Woods and Mickelson only adds to that experience. Mickelson will now represent the U.S. in 12 straight Ryder Cups, dating back to 1995. He left a strong impression with Furyk on Monday at TPC Boston, closing out the Dell Technologies with a final-round 63. That round, however, is more of an outlier given Mickelson’s form the past few months where he hasn’t finished in the top 10 on the PGA Tour since May.

It’s the pick of Woods that drew the most interest, though. At the start of the year Woods seemed an unlikely candidate to make the team. He had only played one PGA Tour event the past two years while recovering from back surgery. Already slated to be one of Furyk’s vice-captains, a role he also filled in 2016, Woods made it clear he wanted to make the team as a player instead.

“At the beginning of the year that was one of my goals, was to make this team,” he said on Tuesday. “I got the call from Jim, and he asked if I would serve as a vice-captain, and I said, ‘Absolutely. Anything to help you out.’ But also, deep down, I wanted to make the team.”

Woods showed early that he was nearing a return to his old form, finishing runner-up at the Valspar Championship in March. At the Open Championship at Carnoustie, he took the lead in the final round before finishing in sixth place, then shot 64 on Sunday at the PGA Championship to end up second behind Brooks Koepka. A year ago it seemed like Woods may never play on tour again. Now not only has he returned, he was an obvious choice for Furyk to make.

“It’s incredible, I mean it really is,” he said. “To look back at the start of the year and now to have accomplished a goal like that, to be part of this team. And now to be a player. As I said, it’s beyond special.”

Woods and Mickelson may not have a lot in common with the younger DeChambeau, but each brings a unique skill set that will help the Americans capture the trophy. DeChambeau’s analytical, highly scientific method contrasts with the feel and guile of the two veterans. DeChambeau’s methods may seem unorthodox, but he’s shown they work the past two weeks. Woods even hinted on the weekend he wants to be paired with him in Paris to use their different styles to their advantage.

Koepka, Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson round out the American team after earning the eight automatic qualifying spots. Furyk still has one captain’s pick remaining after the BMW Championship on Monday. The long-hitting Tony Finau is the favorite for that last spot, but Furyk may also consider players like Xander Schauffele and Kevin Kisner.

The European team that will take on the Americans in Paris was also set early Wednesday morning. Captain Thomas Bjorn picked Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson to complete a team that has won six of eight Ryder Cups since 2000 and hasn’t lost on European soil since 1993.

Francesco Molinari, Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Alex Noren and Thorbjorn Olesen earned Europe’s automatic spots.

Bjorn’s picks prioritized experience over recent form. The four players he selected have combined for 20 Ryder Cup appearances. Bjorn passed over younger players like Thomas Pieters, Rafael Cabrera Bello and Matt Wallace who have better results this year, but lack the same familiarity with the Ryder Cup atmosphere.

The 42nd Ryder Cup will take place at Le Golf National outside Paris from Sept. 28-30.