The Americans haven’t won the Ryder Cup on European soil in 25 years, but with these pairings captain Jim Furyk can go a long way toward ending that drought.
U.S. Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk made his final pick Monday to complete the team that will take on the Europeans at Le Golf National.
Tony Finau, the hard-hitting, athletic Utah native, was named to his first Ryder Cup team. And with that, the 12 players that will represent Team USA in Paris beginning on Sept. 28 was set.
Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka, two of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour, are joined on the team by Rickie Fowler, Webb Simpson, Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. Bryson DeChambeau, the scientific three-time champion on tour in 2018, is making his debut after being one of Furyk’s captain’s picks, while Phil Mickelson is making his 12th straight Ryder Cup appearance.
Then there is Tiger Woods, whose comeback from back surgery to make the team as a captain’s pick has drawn the attention of the golfing world.
The Americans will have extra motivation to succeed in Paris. They haven’t won the Ryder Cup on European soil since 1993, while the Europeans have won six of eight overall since 2000.
To succeed in what will surely be a hostile atmosphere, Furyk needs to make pairings that bring out the best in his players. These pairings will go a long way to silencing the partisan Parisian crowd.