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Ryder Cup hopefuls Mahan, Fowler and Snedeker must wait to learn fate

By Doug Ferguson
Published on
Ryder Cup hopefuls Mahan, Fowler and Snedeker must wait to learn fate

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. -- Hunter Mahan, a two-time winner this year on the PGA Tour, would have figured to be a lock for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Now, he has to wait three weeks to see if Davis Love III will take him as one of four captain's picks.

Ditto for Rickie Fowler, who was No. 12, and Brandt Snedeker right behind him at No. 13.

All of them missed the cut at the PGA Championship, and it wasn't pretty. Mahan, bumped out of the top eight in the standings last week when Keegan Bradley won the Bridgestone Invitational, had an 80. It was his highest score of the year. Fowler also had an 80, the third time in the last 15 rounds he shot in the 80s.

Love will announce his picks after the Deutsche Bank Championship, the second FedEx Cup playoff event.

"The main goal now is to try to make the team," Fowler said. "And I'm not doing a good job of it right now. I've put up some less than stellar scores."

Love hosted a dinner Thursday night for the top 20 players that most of them attended. It was not a time to lobby for a pick, rather for the captain to encourage players to not put too much stress on themselves to make the team.

"You're not going to say anything to blow his mind," Mahan said.

Mahan is No. 4 on the PGA Tour money list and No. 5 in the FedEx Cup standings. It's still not enough to be one of the eight who earn spots on the team.

"It seems kind of crazy to be out of the top eight," he said.

Fowler two years ago became the first PGA Tour rookie to be a captain's pick. Even more surprising is that he had never won. This year, he earned his first PGA Tour win at Quail Hollow in one of the stronger events. And he still failed to qualify.

"Everyone is playing well," Fowler said.

Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk, who are 10th and 11th in the standings, made the cut. So did Dustin Johnson, at No. 14, despite a 79 on Friday.