Rickie Fowler of Murrieta and Collin Morikawa of La Canada Flintridge and Cal were named as Captain’s Picks for the United States team in the 44th Ryder Cup, giving California five of the 12 players on the team for the matches next month.
Already on the team as automatic qualifiers were Patrick Cantlay of Los Alamitos and UCLA, Max Homa of Valencia and Cal, and Xander Schauffele of La Jolla and San Diego State.
“To say I’m excited about these gents is an understatement,” U.S. Captain Zach Johnson said while announcing his Captain’s Picks on the Golf Channel. “They check all of the boxes—fierce competitors, great versatility, great flexibility when it comes to the pairings.
“A lot of time and a lot of energy has gone into this process. That’s probably no secret. I am very confident in these six, and my confidence comes from the mere fact that I am surrounding myself with great people.
“We came up with what we felt was six guys that made these other six (auto-qualifiers)] whole.”
Also named by Johnson as Captain’s Picks were PGA champion Brooks Koepka, the only player on the team who plays LIV Golf, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.
Already on the team as automatic qualifiers were Scottie Scheffler, reigning U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman, winner of the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England.
The 44th Ryder Cup will be played Sept.29-Oct. 1 at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Guidonia Montecelio, Italy, outside Rome.
The United States leads the all-time series, 27-14-2, after claiming a 19-9 victory in 2021 at Whistling Straits Golf Club in Kohler, Wis., but the U.S. has not won in Europe since 1993 at The Belfry in Warwickshire, England.
Europe Captain Luke Donald of England will announce his Captain’s Picks on Monday.
