Ryder Cup and PGA Tour season stats for the three USA wilcards
By Keith Jackson
Last Updated: 12/09/16 6:21pm
US captain Davis Love has confirmed Rickie Fowler, JB Holmes and Matt Kuchar as three of his four wildcard picks. Here, we take a look at their record in the competition, and their form over the 2016 PGA Tour season.
RICKIE FOWLER
Ranked 9th in the world, Fowler has struggled to hit the heights of his stellar 2015 campaign and has yet to record a victory on the PGA Tour this season.
The 27-year-old was tipped to have another big year after he upstaged Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth in winning the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship title on the European Tour back in January.
Fowler has posted eight top-10 finishes in 22 starts, and looked poised to claim his fourth PGA Tour title at The Barclays until he faded out of contention with a final-round 74.
He made his Ryder Cup debut in 2010 and earned his second appearance in 2014, but Fowler has not yet won any of his eight matches - halving five and losing three.
Fowler finished 11th in the Ryder Cup qualifying table, and he narrowly failed to make the 30-man field for next week's Tour Championship when Charl Schwartzel's closing 64 at the BMW Championship lifted the South African to 30th in the FedExCup standings.
Love's verdict: "We found no weaknesses in Rickie's game. He's such a great team-mate and really confident on the big stage. He also brings a lot of intangibles."
MATT KUCHAR
The most experienced of the three captain's picks, Kuchar has been a dependable member of Team USA in his three Ryder Cup appearances, although that is not entirely reflected in his record.
Kuchar has won four of his 11 matches since his debut in 2010, with five losses and two halves, and the world No 17 has enjoyed a typically consistent PGA Tour season despite not managing a win.
The 38-year-old has posted 10 top-10 finishes in his 25 starts, with three third places while also making the podium in golf's return to the Olympic Games in Rio last month.
Kuchar finished 12th in Ryder Cup qualifying, and he comfortably made the elite field for the Tour Championship with a fourth-place finish at Crooked Stick lifting him to 16th in the FedExCup standings.
Love's verdict: "Matt has a great attitude for match play and is a great partner. Like JB, he's consistent and easy to pair."
JB HOLMES
In contrast to the steadiness of Kuchar, Holmes has been blighted by inconsistency throughout 2016 with a mixture of big performances in big events and infuriating missed cuts just as he was building momentum.
Holmes closed with a 68 to earn a share of fourth at The Masters, and he won the race for third at The Open - albeit a distant 11 shots behind Phil Mickelson and 14 adrift of Royal Troon champion Henrik Stenson.
But the 34-year-old failed to make the weekend at the remaining two majors, and he did not earn a penny in three consecutive starts after The Open.
Holmes steadied the ship at the first two FedExCup Play-Off events and then booked a place at the Tour Championship with a tie for fourth at Crooked Stick despite a final-round 74.
The big-hitting Kentuckian has only one Ryder Cup appearance to his name, but he was one of the stars of the show on his debut at Valhalla in 2008, winning two and halving the other of his three matches to help Paul Azinger's side to a convincing victory.
Love's verdict: "He's so steady, he's easy to pair and has a lot of experience. He's consistent, and he's been on a winning Ryder Cup team in the past."
