American Rickie Fowler is throwing his Ryder Cup selection eggs into next week’s Wyndham Championship basket in the hope of avoiding the anxiety of a Hazeltine ‘wildcard’ pick.
Fowler is a very late inclusion into the $US 5.6m field given he’s currently outside the leading nine automatic qualifiers for Davis Love 111s side.
In fact, it will be the top-nine on the USA standings a week after the Wydnham, and at the close of the Barclays, that will win automatic selection.
And as the current No. 12th ranking American Fowler knows that with Matt Kuchar, Brandt Snedeker and Bubba Watson ahead of him it could mean missing out on selection if he does not qualify automatically.
Rickie Fowler would rather be giving the thumbs up after next week’s Wyndham Championship where he’s hoping to break into the top-9 on the USA Ryder Cup points table. (Photo – www.pgatour.com)
Fowler spoke of his decision following his second round 71 that left him at four over par but well down and sharing 50th place after day two of the Rio Olympic Games.
“The main reason, obviously it would be nice to get some more FedEx Cup points,” said Fowler, who is No. 29 on that list. “But my commitment to the Ryder Cup and wanting to be a part of that team … the Ryder Cup and the experiences I’ve had there, it’s the best team event there is in golf. I don’t want to be left off that team, so I want to go there and try and get myself some points.”
But while the current World No. 8 won at the start of the year in Abu Dhabi he can look back to poor showings in the opening two Majors where he missed the cut in the Masters and then the U.S. Open and then in between sat out the weekend rounds in his defence of the Players Championship.
“I don’t want to assume anything,” Fowler said. “I would want Davis to pick me because he thinks I deserve a pick. I want to go and play well and earn some points. Yeah, I don’t want him to think I’m just assuming I’m getting a pick, and I’m not assuming that I’m getting one, either. I want to go earn my spot.”
However Fowler is winless in his two Ryder Cup appearances, going 0-1-2 at Wales and 0-2-3 at Gleneagles.
But then he’s yet to pull on the Stars and Stripes on home soil.
