After a gap year during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ryder Cup is back this year, taking place at the Whistling Straits course in Wisconsin. As the Solheim Cup has just wrapped up, the fans are only more excited for the Ryder Cup’s return to US soil. American caption Steve Stricker recently dropped his six picks for the squad, completing the squad.
One swing from every player on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. 🏌️♂️🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/DFIH4fJXGK
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 8, 2021
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Preparing and hyping fans up for the upcoming event, PGA Tour shared a small clip of all members of the team – one swing from each of them. One drive is shown for seconds, with a ball speed in mph mentioned in a corner box. The video did draw in some reactions from fans, who shared their opinions on the roster and how players could perform.
Let’s take a look at the Team USA squad, including Stricker’s latest picks.
Collin Morikawa
A modern and athletic swing, Morikawa hits with a bowed lead wrist. With more movement in his downswing and body rotation, Morikawa‘s swing is more complicated than it looks. The 24-year-old had two PGA Tour wins this season, the Open Championship and the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship. He finished 26th on the FedExCup list and played 23 total events.
Dustin Johnson
A strong, unique swing, very few can do what the two-time major champion can. “I don’t try to fade it,” Johnson said during an interview. “I just set up a hair more open, aim at the left side of the fairway, and I swing. If I’m working to make the ball go left to right, something is off”. With the 2020 Masters Tournament, Johnson has won his second major.
Bryson DeChambeau
Over the years, DeChambeau‘s swing has gone through a lot of change. “My swing has changed a lot over the years, and probably will keep changing. When I decided I needed more distance to take my game to the next level in 2020, I didn’t just change my body. I changed my swing too,” he explained, adding that his wrist position at setup remains the same.
He won the 2020 US Open, along with Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Brooks Koepka
Koepka does not have any major wins in his bag this season, but he did finish second at the PGA Championship. Additionally, he had seven other top 10 finishes along with his Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Justin Thomas
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With seven top-ten finishes, his one win this season came from the Players Championship. He last played the Tour Championship, finishing fourth. While he did not have the best season with majors, Thomas remains one of the best players on the US Team and has played his first one in 2018.
Patrick Cantlay
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Tony Finau
Finau really proved himself this season, bringing home his first PGA Tour event since 2016 with the Northern Trust. He even had eight top-ten finishes.
Daniel Berger, Harris English, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, and Jordan Spieth are other players on the roster. Morikawa, Cantlay, Schauffele, Berger, English and Scheffler. While Team USA is a strong roster, many fans were expecting names like Patrick Reed on the list. Others wondered if there are too many rookies on the group, and could be a weaker lineup against Team Europe with a slightly more experienced side.