Jim Furyk completes the Americans’ Presidents Cup line-up
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Jim Furyk watches a tee shot on the second hole during the first round of The Ally Challenge on Aug 23.
PHOTO: AFP
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MONTREAL – United States captain Jim Furyk followed the form book on Sept 3 with his final wildcard selections for golf’s Presidents Cup, rounding out his team based solely on team rankings.
With six places up for grabs, he opted to name the final members of his squad from the standings.
That means the nod for Keegan Bradley, Sam Burns, Tony Finau, Brian Harman, Russell Henley and Max Homa, who had been ranked from seventh to 12th on the points table.
They will join the six automatic qualifiers who were previously announced – world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay and Sahith Theegala.
Bradley, who will captain the US at the Ryder Cup in 2025, had already been due to take part in the Sept 26-29 showdown against the Internationals in Montreal as an assistant captain.
But his barnstorming finish to the season – he won the BMW Championship in August before a joint-21st place finish at the Tour Championship on Sept 1 – cemented his Presidents Cup berth.
“When I named Keegan as a captain’s assistant for the Presidents Cup, I knew there was a chance he would play his way onto the US team, and I can say without a doubt he did just that,” said Furyk, adding that Bradley’s recent form demonstrated “the competitive nature he has”.
“I know he will bring that same fire to Royal Montreal in a few weeks.”
Furyk also said he had little hesitation in selecting 12th-ranked Homa despite a dip in form which has seen him make just one top-10 finish this season since tying for third at the Masters in April.
He believed that Homa had impressed during the 2022 Presidents Cup and 2023 Ryder Cup.
“Max plays his best on the biggest stages,” Furyk said. “He was an emotional leader for both teams and someone who rallied the 11 players around him time and again. I can’t wait to have him represent the US again.”
The United States will be looking to extend their two-decade long unbeaten streak in the Presidents Cup. Their only loss in the team event was at the 1998 edition in Melbourne.
Mike Weir, meanwhile, named fellow Canadians Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith and Mackenzie Hughes to his International team. The trio were added as captain’s picks along with South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout, South Korea’s Kim Si-woo and Australia’s Min Woo Lee.
This marks the first time in Presidents Cup history in which three Canadian players will compete for the Internationals. The six automatic qualifiers are Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, Australia’s Adam Scott and Jason Day, and South Korea’s Tom Kim, Im Sung-jae and An Byeong-hun. AFP, REUTERS
