Davis Love Makes His Picks for US Team at Presidents Cup

Davis Love III released the names of his six captains’ picks for the Presidents Cup today.

Despite the ongoing controversy of LIV golf, the event goes on. Both teams have suffered losses with the defections to the rival tour, however, the US team has perhaps suffered less as its bench is deeper.  It appears that the team will be very strong indeed.

Love’s picks are: Max Homa, Billy Horschel, Kevin Kisner, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, and, to no one’s surprise, Cameron Young, who was recently convinced not to join LIV.

Of those who have gone to LIV, perhaps Dustin Johnson’s experience will be missed the most, but as Love pointed out with the announcement:

This year marks Spieth’s fourth Presidents Cup appearance.

Making him a veteran on a young team.  Love predicted Spieth will be a great mentor to the rookies, most of whom are not really rookies in golf.

Those who made the team on points are: Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, Sam Burns, and Tony Finau.

Cantlay won the BMW Championship in the playoffs.  He is last year’s PGA Tour Player of the Year. Cantlay and Xander Schauffele were successful as a team in last fall’s Ryder Cup and previously at the Presidents Cup.

“They can finish each other’s sentences. I think they will play together forever,” Fred Couples has said about the pair.

Spieth has recently found better form in his game and should prove a help to his perennial partner Justin Thomas, who is coming off a victory in the PGA Championship.  It might be that they get split up to pair with Scheffler and Burns on occasion.

A new partner will need to be found for Collin Morikawa as he and Dustin Johnson were undefeated as a team in the last Ryder Cup, but plenty of choices abound including the aforementioned Burns and Scheffler. Collin isn’t loud and flashy.  He is studious and prepared, with a quieter approach to golf than some. Maybe a long hitter like Tony Finau could work as a partner. The length dominator and the silent assassin.

Speaking of Scheffler, his Ryder Cup partner, Bryson DeChambeau is now with LIV, but how hard is it to find someone to play with him?  Probably easier than hitting the easy button. In fact, it’s probably harder to find an easy button than to pair Scheffler. The question is who does Scottie want to play with?  Find out, and get that guy.

No doubt Love did that research already, and if the guy Scottie wants wasn’t there on points, he’s probably a pick.  But they have not let us know these kinds of things yet.

It really doesn’t matter who Billy Horschel plays with because he will kill for a point for the US. If anybody needs to be fired up, Horschel is just the player to do that.  His pro-US enthusiasm is contagious.  He might be great with Kevin Kisner.  Both are southern guys who will know the ins and outs of the bermudagrass turf at Quail Hollow.  It will also be the only time in the fall that a University of Florida/ University of Georgia pairing isn’t contentious.

We won’t have to wait long to find out who plays whom as the matches are just two weeks away.  They begin September 20 and run through the 25th. Wall-to-wall TV coverage is practically guaranteed.