Presidents Cup Insider: Presidents Cup hopefuls down to their last shot

The final piece of the puzzle is upon us. On Aug. 18, the last day of the BMW Championship, we learned the identities of the 16 players – eight and eight – who had qualified on points for the U.S. and International Presidents Cup Teams that will play at Royal Melbourne, Dec. 12-15. Eight more (four and four) will be added at the discretion of the captains (Tiger Woods and Ernie Els, respectively) next week, making the World Golf Championships – HSBC Champions and Bermuda Championship the last chance to make an impression. This year, though, there’s a twist: It’s possible, given Brooks Koepka’s knee injury, that he won’t be able to play, in which case Woods would get five captain’s picks. Someone could still come out of nowhere with a dominant performance this week, but absent that, here are the most likely players to get the call, plus a few longshots. U.S. TEAM Tiger Woods A lock. (He knows the captain personally!) Looked like he might make the team on merit after he won the Masters Tournament, but he missed the top eight. Healthy again, won the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. Gary Woodland spoke for many when he said Woods would be “dumb� not to pick himself. Woods is 24-15-1 in eight Presidents Cup appearances. Gary Woodland Great chance. Strange to think this 35-year-old hasn’t played on a Presidents or Ryder Cup team, but he will likely rectify that after a solo fifth at the ZOZO, where he played the final 36 holes with Captain Woods. “I feel pretty good about my chances,� said Woodland, who was coming off a T3 finish at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES the previous week. Rickie Fowler Good chance. Terrific player, great teammate, popular guy, and has been a fixture on U.S. teams for years. Hasn’t played much this fall as he was busy getting married on the beach, but it’s almost impossible to imagine him not making the team. Tony Finau Good chance. Only T59 at ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, but a T9 at Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, where he shot a third-round 62, was probably enough. Went 2-1-0 as a captain’s pick, including a 6-and-4 thumping of Tommy Fleetwood, at 2018 Ryder Cup. Given what a rough week it was for the Americans, that performance stands out. Patrick Reed Good chance. Didn’t play well at 2018 Ryder Cup, but it wasn’t a good course for him and he wasn’t on form. Traditionally beyond tough to beat in team golf, he won THE NORTHERN TRUST in August and finished a respectable T17 at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. Could do himself a big favor with a solid result at WGC-HSBC Champions this week. Kevin Na Decent chance. He would be a rookie, and a T46 at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP and T20 at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES didn’t help his cause, but the fact remains he’s one of the hotter players in the game. When he won the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open it was his third victory in a span of just 30 starts, but he may need Woods to get that fifth captain’s pick. Phil Mickelson, Kevin Kisner, Chez Reavie Longshots. Kisner would probably have to win HSBC this week, although his WGC history is strong as the Dell Technologies Match Play champion. Reavie also finished in the top 15 in points, and also could make things interesting with a win at HSBC. Mickelson, Kisner’s partner at Liberty National two years ago, has played on every U.S. Presidents and Ryder Cup team since 1994, but even he admits he hasn’t done enough to justify a pick. And even winning the HSBC might not help him now. Now whether he winds up in Melbourne as an assistant captain …   INTERNATIONAL TEAM Jason Day Great chance. He’s easily the biggest name not to qualify on merit for the International Team, and the odds that he will be left out are remote. Hasn’t showed much form, but a victory in the star-studded MGM Resorts The Challenge: Japan Skins (Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama) prior to the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP was at least something.  Sungjae Im Great chance. The PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year last season, Im is tireless (35 starts last season), so if he gets hot, he could play every session. His short game is streaky, which may be why he hasn’t won, but consistency from tee to green yields results (seven top-10s, 16 top-25s last season) and makes him an attractive pick. What’s more, Im, 21, has a T3 (ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP) and solo second (Sanderson Farms Championship) already this season. Joaquin Niemann Great chance. Like Im, Niemann, 20, who won A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier to open the new season, will figure prominently into the International Team’s future and present. The first TOUR winner from Chile looks like a great bet to start learning the nuances of team golf at Royal Melbourne in December. Adam Hadwin Decent chance. The man from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, finished T4 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, and backed it up with a solo second at the Safeway Open, his best finish on the PGA TOUR since winning the 2017 Valspar Championship. “I feel like I’m continuing some of the momentum coming from last year,� Hadwin, 10th in the FedExCup, said at the Safeway, where he made eight birdies in the final round. Byeong Hun An Decent chance. An is a big talent who probably should have won by now, given how often he’s flirted with victory, but the fact remains he’s in form. He’ll be hard to ignore after a third-place finish at the Sanderson Farms Championship and two more top-10s at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, in his native South Korea, and ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. Branden Grace Sliver of a chance. Went 4-0-0 (largely with partner Louis Oosthuizen) at the 2015 Presidents Cup in South Korea. Also went 1-2-2 at the 2017 Presidents Cup, one of the better records amongst the International Team as they struggled mightily. Alas, Grace just isn’t in form and may have to win this week’s Bermuda Championship to justify a pick. Ryo Ishikawa, Jazz Janewattananond, Erik Van Rooyen, Justin Harding Longshots. A resurgent Ishikawa might have the best chance, as he’s won twice on the Japan Golf Tour this year and has played on two Presidents Cup teams. Realistically, though, all would probably have to win this week in Shanghai, or come darn close, to find their way to Melbourne.

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