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The field will whittle down to 30 next week at East Lake Golf Club as players make one last push to gain entry into the TOUR Championship. With plenty to play for this week at Caves Valley, some may be inclined to go for broke, knowing a strong finish is required.
In what was a dramatic BMW Championship last year at Olympia Fields, many will remember the epic playoff between Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson. Yet, not to be forgotten was the play of Mackenzie Hughes. Needing an incredible par save on the 72nd hole, the Canadian got up-and-down to secure his position in the TOUR Championship.
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With major championship and World Golf Championship appearances on the line, and let’s not forget a guaranteed payday, a spot in Atlanta comes with plenty of added perks. Ranking 65th in the FedEx Cup standings coming into the BMW Championship, I caught up with Olympian to gauge where he is at just a year removed from the life-altering putt.
Hughes said, “I bring the vibes, I bring the really bad playoff beard, I bring all that stuff with me. It’s kind of a situation where it is very clear what you have to do, so it’s kind of freeing in a sense. I was playing last week and I felt like I didn’t have to do as much to advance, which maybe was a mistake on my part, limiting myself. But this week I am excited to just play some golf and the idea for me is to just go big or go home. I am excited for the week and will definitely draw on some of that from last year.”
The man currently occupying the 30th spot is Genesis Invitational winner, Max Homa. With Kevin Kisner and Keegan Bradley nipping at his heels, the two-time winner on the PGA Tour doesn’t have the luxury to coast into the TOUR Championship.
Well aware of the situation, Homa said, “Obviously, I am right on the bubble, so I kind of need to ball out. I can’t be overly aggressive, but I am going to need to go out there and play some great golf...but I am definitely going to try to be a bit more aggressive and make some birdies. I think the scores will be pretty low, so I am going to have to get after it a little bit.”
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The TOUR Championship isn’t the only event with qualifying implications in the Charm City. The BMW Championship marks the completion of Ryder Cup qualifying as well with a number of Americans looking to make one last impression on the captain.
With the top eight players likely cemented on Team USA, thanks to Tony Finau’s victory at The Northern Trust, four spots remain for Whistling Straits. Question marks surround Ryder Cup stalwart, Patrick Reed, as he is battling pneumonia in a Houston-area hospital. Having missed significant time, one has to wonder if Captain America will in fact be 100% come mid-September.
If not, a potential opening could be filled with a number of players. Harris English, Patrick Cantlay, Daniel Berger, Webb Simpson, and Scottie Scheffler will likely vie for the final spots on the squad. However, ultimate wildcard, Phil Mickelson has garnered some attention.
In what I believe would be a poor pick from Captain Steve Stricker, Mickelson has not played well enough as of late. Despite the PGA Championship victory in May, it is time to move on, put Mickelson in an assistant captaincy role, and let a young, budding star, such as Scheffler make his debut at Whistling Straits, a course I believe he would thrive at.
If Scheffler were to make the team, that means one of the other four previously mentioned is on the outs. With Berger seemingly peaking and Cantlay making a formidable duo with good friend, Xander Schauffele, I reckon it comes down to English and Simpson, with English getting my vote of confidence by a razor’s edge.
Obviously speculating, I believe that team composition gives the United States the best opportunity to capture the Cup in a month’s time. Yet, they’ll need to go through a formidable European Team that is a +165 underdog at PointsBet Sportsbook, despite claiming victory in four of the last five Ryder Cups.
The decisions needed to be made by Captain Padraig Harrington are slightly easier than his counterpart’s. Team Europe’s qualifying still has a few events to go, culminating at Wentworth in the BMW PGA Championship. With three openings to work with, I envision the Irishman going with some youth in his first selection, leaning on young Scot, Robert MacIntyre.
From there, someone’s heart will likely be broken as Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia, and Ian Poulter are all on the outside looking in. Both of the Englishmen are expected to play in the final qualifying event, but it may not matter as I believe it will be Rose that is the last man out, as Harrington all but guaranteed spots to the other two in late June.
With Garcia being the only one in the field this week at the BMW Championship, a strong showing at Caves Valley can only help his case. In the likely case that I am incorrect projecting these teams, that may very well be needed as the Spaniard would love nothing more than to retain the Cup that he helped capture in Paris.
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