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Fred Couples spoke with Sirius XM about the upcoming Ryder Cup and casually name dropped some of the guys who will join Scottie Scheffler.
The major championship season is over, and it’s time to focus on two things — the Ryder Cup and FedEx Cup playoffs.
For the American team, qualifying ends at the BMW Championship next month. Six players will get in automatically — five now that Scottie Scheffler has officially earned a spot.
After the Tour Championship, captain Zach Johnson will then have to fill the remaining six spots with his picks.
His assistant captain Fred Couples dropped some names that will be on the American side during his Sirius XM PGA Tour radio show, The Fred Couples Show.
“I’ll say Max Homa’s gonna be in Italy,” Couples said to his co-host George Downing. “I’ll say Max Homa’s gonna be in Italy without getting anyone in trouble… Cam Young will be in Italy.”
Downing asked him about Jordan Spieth, and Couples said, “Will be in Italy.” Downing continued with Keegan Bradley, but Couples wouldn’t answer.
“The rest is — I’m stopping,” Couples said.
Looking at the automatic qualifiers, there is Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, Brooks Koepka, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay. With the names Couples dropped, that gives them nine of the 12 total.
That leaves just three spaces left. On the outside looking in are Bradley, Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler, Sam Burns, Justin Thomas, Tony Finau and the potential of other LIV Golf players.
Fowler, with how well he has played this year, feels like an inevitability. That would leave two spots.
Couples went on to mention Thomas during the show.
“I’m glad he’s playing this week,” Couples said. “The whole world knows that J.T.’s gotta go to, is it Minnesota, and then Greensboro? He’s gotta go to those places and play well.”
Thomas has really struggled this season, shooting an 81 at the Open Championship and a career-worst round of 82 at the U.S. Open. He has made just one major championship cut all season, but Thomas is a Ryder Cup veteran that usually plays well in the matches.
It will be interesting to see how the Americans fill out their roster for the 2023 Ryder Cup.
