EVENTS
Here is how the PGA Championship will affect the 2018 Ryder Cup team
Half of the eight U.S. Ryder Cup automatic qualifying spots were clinched before the 2018 PGA Championship. But the waiting for the other four ends after the 100th PGA Championship, which is the last chance for players to earn points.
Note: The math behind the Ryder Cup points is complex. The points are tied to the purse for the 2018 PGA Championship. Going by this year's purse, the winner will get 3,960 points.
MORE: 2018 PGA Championship purse, winner's share
In addition, ties and finishes of non-U.S. born players will all come into play.
With that all covered, here we go.
Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson are in the best position, because they currently sit in the top 8 in the latest Ryder Cup standings. Of those four, Spieth, Fowler and Simpson made the cut at Bellerive and will earn Ryder Cup points.
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At the PGA Championship, the winner will get two points per $1,000 earned. Everyone else gets 1.5 points per $1,000 earned. The second-place finisher will receive 1,782 points.
Bubba Watson
Watson didn’t make the cut, but he also has 5,584.137 points. He was 1,219.079 points ahead of No. 8 Simpson before the PGA Championship.
Jordan Spieth
Spieth was in danger of missing the cut, but a 4-under in the second round pushed him to the weekend. He ended 8-under and tied for 12th.
Rickie Fowler
Fowler was in the lead for much of Thursday. Like Spieth, he ended up tied for 12th at the PGA Championship.
Webb Simpson
Simpson really needed to make the cut so he can earn points this weekend. And he did. The name of the game for him was to stay ahead of or close to those behind him that are still in the PGA Championship – namely, Xander Schauffele and Matt Kuchar. Thanks to his 7-under at the PGA Championship, he did just that.
Bryson DeChambeau
DeChambeau was No. 9 going into the PGA Championship. But he missed the cut and will not qualify for the top 8. He will have to hope for a Captain’s Pick.
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Phil Mickelson
Like DeChambeau, Mickelson also missed the cut at the PGA Championship. His 73-71 rounds left him four shots off from playing on the weekend.
Xander Schauffele
Schauffele was a little more than 500 points from Simpson in the No. 8 spot going into the PGA Championship. He finished behind Simpson and can't catch him.
Matt Kuchar
Kuchar's 71-70 weren't good enough to make the cut, missing by one shot. That's one shot away from earning points that he needed to move into the top eight.
Tony Finau
After Thursday, it didn't look like Finau would reach the weekend. But Finau tied a PGA Championship record by making 10 birdies to go 66 in the second round. But he couldn't keep the momentum going, finishing 3-under and tied for 42nd.
Kevin Kisner
Among those outside the top eight but in the top 20, Kisner had the best start to his PGA Championship. His 67-64 had him in second place after two rounds. Kisner is No. 15 in the Ryder Cup standings at 3,398.501 points. Kisner needed a win to vault into the top eight. He ended 8-under and tied for 12th.
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Tiger Woods
Tiger, at No. 20 in the Ryder Cup standings, needed a PGA Championship win to clinch a spot. With his 2,414.794 points, a win would send him toward the top eight. He almost got it. Tiger finished two shots behind winner Brooks Koepka to finish in second.
Gary Woodland
At the start of the 100th PGA Championship, Woodland was No. 22 with 2,324.596 points. That had him a little more than 2,000 points back of Simpson. Woodland had the best start to a major in his career at the PGA Championship. At 10-under through two rounds, Woodland held the lead or co-lead in a major for the first time in his career. He closed at 10-under and tied for sixth.