Waiting game continues for U.S. Ryder Cup hopefuls
By T.J. Auclair, PGATOUR.COM Interactive Producer
NORTON, Mass. -- It seems the only thing that the U.S. Ryder Cup captain's pick hopefuls have in common is, well, none of them really know what's going on.
None of them have been in touch with Captain Paul Azinger and aren't sure what to expect when he announces his four wild-card picks at a news conference in New York City on Tuesday morning.
"I haven't heard from Paul at all and I don't know what he's thinking," said Steve Stricker, who fell out of the top eight and an automatic berth at the PGA Championship and, at No. 9 in the standings, now has to rely on Azinger for the nod. "I've just done what I could to just try to play and do the best I can, and hopefully I get a call tonight or early tomorrow morning. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."
"I haven't spoken to Paul," Woody Austin, the No. 10 ranked player, said. "I've left it up to him. The goal that I set all along was that I wanted to make the team. I didn't officially make the team based on the eight guys that are in, so from there on it's his choice. I'm not going to lobby to change his mind. His mind is made up based on the way he wants the team and he'll set it up accordingly."
"I don't know what they're [Azinger and his assistants] thinking," said Hunter Mahan, who is 12th in the standings. "They haven't been out. I haven't seen them, I haven't heard from them, I guess they're just trying to keep it under wraps, I think. I don't think anybody has a clue."
Luckily, the suspense won't last much longer.
The decision won't be easy, though. None of the players who finished ranked 9-17, respectively -- Stricker, Austin, D.J. Trahan, Hunter Mahan, Sean O'Hair, Rocco Mediate, Brandt Snedeker, Zach Johnson, or J.B. Holmes -- has done anything spectacular in recent weeks to suggest a definitive lock.
"There are so many guys to choose from," said Anthony Kim, who finished fifth in the standings to earn his spot. "Nobody has really broken out and really had great, great performances except for the guys who had been playing well already. It's bunched up there and there are so many good players that have an opportunity to make that team."
Like Stricker, who is looking to make the Ryder Cup team for the first time in his career. His best finish in his last five starts was a tie for seventh at the Open Championship, which should get him some attention, along with a tie for 13th on Monday at the Deutsche Bank Championship.
"I would be disappointed [if I didn't get a call]," said Stricker, whose tie for 13th was the best at the Deutsche Bank Championship amongst the hopefuls. "I feel like I've played well enough this year and last year and I was 13th or 15th in Ryder Cup standings coming into this year and made my way all the way up to the top eight for awhile and top nine. I played good enough to improve my position this year, so I feel like I've done somewhat what I could except for winning a tournament, I guess."
Snedeker is on the outside looking in. In his last eight events, Snedeker's best performance was a tie for 24th at the PGA Championship. He also had three consecutive missed cuts at the front of that stretch. While he'd love to be a part of the team, he wasn't optimistic about getting a call from Azinger.
"I'm not really too worried about it," he said after a tie for 27th at the Deutsche Bank Championship. "I haven't done a whole lot to impress Captain Azinger in the last five weeks, so I'm not expecting it [to be a captain's pick].
"Hopefully my record holds up, because over the last two years I've played some pretty good golf," Snedeker added. "I'm more disappointed that I didn't qualify on my own. You can't sit around waiting for a pick. I didn't do it on my own, so whoever he picks will certainly help the team and if I'm picked, I'll be ready to go and can't wait to tee it up."
Austin, meanwhile, didn't do a whole lot to suggest a last-minute consideration with his final-round, 4-over 75 at the Deutsche Bank Championship to tie for 40th.
"I don't think I put too much pressure on myself today," Austin said. "I put pressure on myself everyday, so today is no different. I have a warrior's mentality. I just got knocked down again, so I just need to get back up off the canvas and go at it again next week. That's the way I look at it. While the day is going on I might look like I've been through a war, but today the game won and tomorrow maybe I'll win."
A "win" tomorrow for Austin would be a spot on his first Ryder Cup team.
Trahan didn't make the impression he would have liked either. In the final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship, the former Clemson University star limped in with a 9-over 80 that included three double bogeys.
O'Hair and Holmes missed the cut at TPC Boston, while Mediate tied for 69th. Johnson didn't qualify based on his 131st position in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup standings.
Mahan left TPC Boston on Monday afternoon wishing he had been able to do more than his eventual tie for 15th -- especially after a promising 7-under 64 in the second round.
"It's been two frustrating weeks," he said, also speaking to his tie for 31st at The Barclays after an opening-round 62. "I felt like I came in with a lot of game, feeling pretty good about everything, but didn't get as much out of it as I would have liked. It's an important time of year and there's a lot of pressure, but I'm happy with the way I dug out some rounds.
"It would be great to get the call tomorrow," Mahan added. "I've seen the ads gearing up for the Ryder Cup and you just feel it. With Europe picking its two guys, you just feel it. Everybody kind of has a sense about it. It's a good thing. It's an exciting thing to be a part of."
If none of the hopefuls hear from Azinger until Tuesday morning, at least one person will have the captain's ear on Monday night.
"I'm going to talk to Zinger later tonight," Kim said. "I told him I'd give him a call and we'd talk about it. Hopefully I'll know by then."
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