WILMINGTON, Del. — Half of the 12-man team to represent the stars and stripes at the Presidents Cup in Charlotte in September officially qualified Sunday.
There wasn’t much drama as the top six in the standings all held serve and remained among the six players that booked their place on Team USA Captain Davis Love III’s team that will try to retain the cup at Quail Hollow Club.
Love will announce his six captain’s picks on Sept. 6.
The Presidents Cup is a four-day, match play event with 30 total matches, comprised of a 12-person U.S. Team and 12-person International Team.
Let’s take a look at who the six U.S. qualifiers will be.
Scottie Scheffler
After needing a captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup, Scottie Scheffler made sure that he wouldn’t have to sweat out waiting for a phone call with good news again for the U.S. Presidents Cup team.
Scheffler topped the U.S. team point standings with 12,670 points. He won four times, including the Masters, and heads into the FedEx Cup finale at East Lake next week in second place.
Scheffler, 26, will be representing the stars and stripes at the Presidents Cup for the first time. He recorded a record of 2-0-1, going 1-0-1 in a pair of For-Ball matches before defeating then-World No. 1 Jon Rahm in singles. Expect him to play at least four matches this go-round.
Captain Love on Scheffler: “Scottie is a tremendous competitor and someone who gained valuable experience last fall at Whistling Straits. In 2022, we’ve seen his true potential shine as he’s ascended to the No. 1 player in the world, but also has cemented himself as a guy who has earned the respect of his peers and teammates. This will certainly be the first of many Presidents Cups for him.”
Patrick Cantlay
Cantlay, the reigning FedEx Cup champion and PGA Tour Player of the Year, finished second in the U.S. Presidents Cup point standing with 9,418 points. He won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with teammate Xander Schauffele and the BMW Championship on Sunday, while leading the Tour with 11 top-10 finishes this season, including twice losing in playoffs – to Scheffler at the WM Phoenix Open and to Jordan Spieth at the RBC Heritage.
Cantlay, 30, is making his second appearance on the U.S. Presidents Cup team. He played in the 2019 Presidents Cup and also represented Team USA at the Ryder Cup in 2021.
Sam Burns
Burns will be making his first appearance representing Team USA in international competition since his college days at LSU playing in the Arnold Palmer Cup. Burns was one of the players under serious consideration for a captain’s pick from Steve Stricker for the 2021 U.S. Ryder Cup team, but it wasn’t to be. Burns took care of business this time, finishing third in the point standings. The 26-year-old notched three victories this season – at the Sanderson Farms Championship, Valspar Championship and Charles Schwab Challenge.
Captain Love on Burns: “I know he’s champing at the bit to get to Quail Hollow. He’s a steady, confident player, but also a great teammate and someone you want to partner with inside the ropes. He is one of the fiercest competitors we see on the PGA Tour each week and is simply a guy who hates to lose.”
Xander Schauffele
Schauffele, 28, finished fourth in the point standings, securing his third straight appearance representing America in international competition.
He’s been on the winning sides at the 2019 Presidents Cup and 2021 Ryder Cup. He and Cantlay have proven to be a formidable duo in team competition, and their comfort level playing together was on display again this year as they teamed to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Schauffele’s big year also included winning titles at the Travelers Championship and Genesis Scottish Open.
Justin Thomas
Thomas is becoming a stalwart for Team USA at the Presidents Cup. This marks his third straight appearance in the Presidents Cup and he’s also played in two Ryder Cup. Thomas, 29, has played in every international competition since the 2017 Presidents Cup.
Thomas won the PGA Championship in a playoff in May, and recorded nine top-10 finishes this season on the PGA Tour.
Tony Finau
Finau qualifies for his fourth straight international competition representing Team USA, but the first time via points.
“It’s quite cool,” he said. “A couple times I finished seventh or eighth right when they moved it to six picks. Officially my first time making it by points. It was a goal of mine to start the season, and when I finished playing in Melbourne (in 2019), it was a goal of mine to make the next team at home, and to be able to do it by points I think is pretty special for me.”
The 32-year-old won the 3M Open and Rocket Mortgage Classic back-to-back weeks to highlight a solid season and clinch the sixth and final automatic qualifier spot on the U.S. side.
Finau will be making his second Presidents Cup start. He also played in the last two Ryder Cups. He’s an impressive 3-for-3 on being on the winning side.
