A mighty American line-up.
The end of the World Match Play Championship on Sunday marked six months until Darren Clarke leads his European team into battle at Hazeltine, and with next week’s Masters rapidly approaching, the fight for places in the team that will defend the Ryder Cup will really hot up.
And Clarke will no doubt be hoping some of Europe’s most dependable stars from a decade of dominance over the Americans can also begin to heat up in order to bring some experience to a squad thus far packed with Ryder Cup rookies.
Rory McIlroy sits proudly atop the qualification rankings, but he is followed by English trio Danny Willett, Andy Sullivan and Matthew Fitzpatrick, all rising stars of the game but yet to hit a ball in the cauldron of the Ryder Cup.
The same is true of in-form Spaniard Rafa Cabrera-Bello, who beat McIlroy to third place in Austin on Sunday, and Dutchman Thomas Pieters, who currently holds the ninth and final automatic berth (Clarke will also choose three wild cards).
While new blood has not been a problem in years past, surely Clarke will not want this many novices in his squad, particularly when he looks at the US team Davis Love III could be trotting out against him.
Only 6 months left to the #RyderCup! An update with the teams direct qualifiers. #USA dominate #EUR in 2016 #OWGR. pic.twitter.com/7qXTqOttDt
— Nosferatu (@VC606) March 29, 2016
There are just eight automatic qualifiers to the American team, and if the rankings were frozen today you’d imagine Love would be a happy man indeed.
Jordan Spieth headlines a fearless bunch that includes Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Zach Johnson, Brandt Snedeker, Rickie Fowler, Phil Mickelson and Patrick Reed, nary a rookie among them.
There is still plenty of time, though, for some of Europe’s old reliables like Graeme McDowell, Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter to force their way back into the side, and Clarke will be hoping at least a couple of those find some form to make his job a little easier come September.
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