Stricker announces six captain’s picks to complete US Ryder Cup team

Daniel Berger, Harris English, Tony Finau, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth have been added to the US team as Steve Stricker’s captain’s picks for the 43rd Ryder Cup.

They will join the six automatic qualifiers – Patrick Cantlay, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas – in making up the 12-strong team to take on Europe at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin from September 24-26.

Berger, 28, will be making his Ryder Cup debut, yet he will lean on valuable match-play experiences gained in 2017, when he played for Steve Stricker and went 2-1 for the victorious US Presidents Cup Team. He is coming off top-10 finishes in the season’s final two Major Championships, the US Open (T-7) and Open Championship (T-8).

English, 32, will also be playing in his first Ryder Cup. He earned the nod from Stricker with a strong 2021 campaign, during which he won twice (2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions, Travelers Championship) to double his career victory total. He will be playing in his first team competition since the 2011 Walker Cup.

Finau, 31, returns to the US team for the second time after Jim Furyk made him a captain’s selection in 2018, when he went 2-1-0 in Paris. Finau joins Stricker’s US team in top form, having won the Northern Trust last month in a playoff.

Schauffele (pictured above), 27, another Ryder Cup rookie. The current Olympic champion went 3-2-0 in the 2019 Presidents Cup, when his singles victory over Adam Scott helped fuel America’s comeback victory in Australia.

Scheffler, 25, another debutant, has shown consistent excellence in golf’s biggest events, finishing top eight or better in four of his five Major Championship starts dating to 2020. He represented the victorious United States squad in the 2017 Walker Cup.

Spieth will be playing in his fourth consecutive Ryder Cup, the longest current streak among the American contingent. The 28-year-old is a three-time Major champion, whose resurgent 2021 season featured a victory at the Valero Texas Open. His career Ryder Cup record of 7-5-2 includes a 5-1-0 scoreline in fourballs.

Stricker had earlier announced that Fred Couples and Phil Mickelson would join Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson and Davis Love III as his vice captains.

European captain Padraig Harrington will announce his three captain’s picks at the conclusion of the final round of this week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth on Sunday.

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