Steve Stricker To Pick Six Wildcards For 2020 USA Ryder Cup Team

The US captain will be able to pick half of his team this year due to Covid-19 wreaking havoc on the qualification period

Steve Stricker To Pick Six Wildcards For 2020 USA Ryder Cup Team
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The US captain will be able to pick half of his team this year due to Covid-19 wreaking havoc on the qualification period

Steve Stricker To Pick Six Wildcards For 2020 USA Ryder Cup Team

There has been a huge development in terms of the Ryder Cup today with the announcement that USA captain Steve Stricker will have six wildcard picks for his 2020 team.

Due to Covid-19, the qualification process has been completely thrown up in the air and Stricker will now be able to pick half of his team.

Qualification will end after the BMW Championship, the second event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, ending 30th August.

Interestingly, the US Open, which takes place the week prior to the Ryder Cup, will have no impact on the team as it will have already been decided by then.

This news appears to boost the chances of the Ryder Cup going ahead, which looked likely to be postponed after Stricker last week said it would be "a crime" against the Wisconsin fans if crowds were not allowed.

The chances of it going ahead with fans now seems much more likely after this public announcement, especially after the PGA Tour announced that fans will return on-site at the Memorial Tournament next month.

If organisers knew the event was going to postponed, it would seem unlikely that they would make such an announcement.

As it stands, American players have been earning points this year as well as in 2019 during the Majors and WGCs.

The top six on the standings currently are: Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Gary Woodland, Xander Schauffele and Webb Simpson.

Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas have been bumped out of the top eight, with the USA previously having eight automatic qualifiers and four wildcards.

It remains to be seen how the European Tour respond to this, after Padraig Harrington told Golf Monthly that "mathematical models" are in place for picking the team for any eventuality.

The European Tour has to wait another six weeks until it restarts so the qualification process will need some major tinkering.

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Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!


Elliott is currently playing:


Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV