Captain's picks for U.S. Ryder Cup team increase from 4 to 6
The PGA of America announced Wednesday that United States Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker will get two additional captain's picks for the 2020 team.
In past years, the captain made four selections after eight players qualified on points. But after 11 PGA Tour tournaments were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the qualification window to make the 2020 team has been drastically reduced.
Stricker will now make six picks on either Sept. 2 or 3. The first six spots will be filled when the automatic qualifying period ends at the conclusion of the BMW Championship - the second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs - on Aug. 30.
Here are the current USA Ryder Cup standings:
1. Brooks Koepka
2. Dustin Johnson
3. Patrick Reed
4. Gary Woodland
5. Xander Schauffele
6. Webb Simpson
7. Justin Thomas
8. Tiger Woods
9. Tony Finau
10. Matt Kuchar
11. Bryson DeChambeau
12. Patrick Cantlay
Justin Thomas and Tiger Woods now sit on the outside looking in after the qualification criteria revision.
Whether the 2020 Ryder Cup will be played at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin on Sept. 27-29 is yet to be determined. It's unknown if fans will be allowed to attend, and many of the top players, including Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka, have spoken out against running the competition if spectators aren't permitted.
Stricker said the final decision regarding the event will come before the end of June.