NEWS

Mickelson, Mahan Lead Eight Automatic Qualifiers Landing Berths on U.S. Ryder Cup Team

By PGA of America
Published on
Masters Champion Phil Mickelson and Hunter Mahan, who combined for three victories this season, lead eight players who earned automatic berths on the 2010 United States Ryder Cup Team. The top eight players were determined following the conclusion of the 92nd PGA Championship at Whistling Straits on Sunday. Mickelson will be making his ninth consecutive Ryder Cup appearance, while Mahan will be making his second straight trip to golf's premier spectacle as the United States prepares for the 38th Ryder Cup, Oct. 1-3, at The Celtic Manor in Newport, Wales. The remaining players earning automatic bids, in order of their finish in the final U.S. Ryder Cup standings are: Bubba Watson, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson, Jeff Overton, and Matt Kuchar. Watson, who finished alone in second place in the 92nd PGA Championship following a three-hole aggregate playoff, Johnson, Kuchar and Overton will be making their debut in the Ryder Cup. U.S. Team Captain Corey Pavin will complete the 12-member roster by announcing his four Captain's selections on Tuesday, Sept. 7, at 10:30 a.m. EDT, at the New York Stock Exchange in New York City. The European Ryder Cup Team will be determined on Aug. 29, with Captain Colin Montgomerie announcing his three Captain's selections that day at 1 p.m. EDT, following the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, Scotland. The Ryder Cup is among the last great professional sporting events where winning, and not prize money, is its own reward. The United States owns a 25-10-2 advantage in the biennial competition, including a victory in 2008 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky. The Ryder Cup began in 1927 when enterprising English seed merchant Samuel Ryder commissioned the casting of a gold chalice that bears his name. The U.S. Team defeated Great Britain, 9½ to 2½, in the inaugural matches in Worcester, Mass. Since then, except for a span (1939-45) during World War II and following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks upon America, the Ryder Cup has been held biennially with the U.S. and Europe alternating as host.