Team USA captain Jim Furyk has made his captain’s picks for this year’s Presidents Cup, scheduled for Sept. 26-29 at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Canada.
Similarly structured to last year’s Ryder Cup selection process, Furyk had six picks to make, while six players had already qualified for the American team: Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay, and Sahith Theegala.
The biggest question surrounding this year’s captain picks revolved around Keegan Bradley, who will lead the American Ryder Cup team next year at Bethpage. Should Bradley play? Or should he serve as a vice-captain in Montreal? After all, Bradley serving as Furyk’s right-hand man could pay dividends on Long Island in 2025.
That said, Bradley has played some terrific golf lately. After being the last player in the field at Castle Pines, Bradley went from worst to first and won the BMW Championship in Colorado two weeks ago. He is also ranked 13th in the Official World Golf Rankings and made it to the Tour Championship, proving he is one of the game’s top players despite being older than other top stars.
Hence, Furyk’s decision to go with Bradley, thanks to his recent performances.
American Team Automatic Qualifiers:
1. Scottie Scheffler
2. Xander Schauffele
3. Collin Morikawa
4. Wyndham Clark
5. Patrick Cantlay
6. Sahith Theegala
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American Team Captain’s Picks:
1. Sam Burns
2. Tony Finau
3. Russell Henley
4. Keegan Bradley
5. Brian Harman
6. Max Homa
Furyk went straight chalk for his captain’s picks, selecting those ranked seventh through 12th in the final standings to join Team USA in Montreal.
As such, Bradley’s inclusion means that Furyk left a few other players off the team.
Justin Thomas, who made last year’s Ryder Cup team despite having a poor 2023 campaign, will not represent the Stars and Stripes at this year’s Presidents Cup. Thomas even made his way to Atlanta for the Tour Championship, demonstrating that his form had improved from a year ago. But he finished the season ranked 19th in the Team USA Presidents Cup rankings, giving Furyk reason to pass him by.
Another player Furyk could have selected was Akshay Bhatia, who won the Valero Texas Open earlier this year and put forth a strong 2024 season. Bhatia made it to the Tour Championship for the first time but ended the season ranked 14th in the Presidents Cup standings. Nevertheless, the 22-year-old Bhatia will make plenty of national teams in the future as he has plenty of potential.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
