A closer look at the US Ryder Cup automatic qualifiers

The six automatic qualifiers for the 2023 US Ryder Cup Team have been set.

Following the conclusion of Sunday’s BMW Championship, four players joined Scottie Scheffler and Wyndham Clark in US Captain Zach Johnson’s 12-man squad to face Europe on Sept. 29-Oct. 1 in Rome: Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa and Xander Schauffele.

Here’s a closer look at each of the first six All-Americans selected:

Scotty Sheffler
Age: 27
World ranking: 1
Ryder Cup entries: 1 (2021)
US Ryder Cup Record: 2-0-1 (1-0-1 in fours, 1-0 in singles)

The season at a glance: Scheffler has had one of the most dominant runs in recent history, posting 19 consecutive top-12 finishes, including wins at the WM Phoenix Open and The Players earlier this season. And after seemingly cooling off in recent weeks, he added a T-2 to the BMW to regain any lost momentum. He also leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained on the green, more than a half-shot behind second-ranked Rory McIlroy.

Wyndham Clarke
Age: 29
World ranking: 11
Ryder Cup entries: Making a debut
US Ryder Cup Record: Making a debut

The season at a glance: Clark has improved all over the bag during his season. He became his own swing coach and reached No. 33 in strokes gained after not ranking in the top 170 in that category at the end of any previous season. He switched players in March, using an exact replica of Rickie Fowler’s Odyssey Versa Jailbird, to climb outside the top 100 to No. 37 in strokes gained putting. And, rounding out his game, he began working with sports psychologist Julie Elion. As a result, Clark won twice this season, including his first major at the US Open.

Brian Harman
Age: 36
World ranking: 8
Ryder Cup entries: Making a debut
US Ryder Cup Record: Making a debut

The season at a glance: Harman was well out of the Ryder Cup automatic bid picture before arriving at Royal Liverpool last month. He had a trio of runner-up finishes, including most recently in June at the Travelers, but then went on to win the Open, his first major, by five shots to climb the US points list. Harman then officially earned his spot on Team USA with a T-5 finish in the BMW.

Patrick Candley
Age: 31
World ranking: 4
Ryder Cup entries: 1 (2021)
US Ryder Cup Record: 3-0-1 (0-0-1 in four balls, 2-0 in fours, 1-0 in singles)

The season at a glance: Cantlay played just once last fall, tying for second at the Shriners Open, before taking a few events to start the new year. Cantlay is winless this season, but starting with a solo third in the Genesis, he has finished in the top 25 in 12 of 15 starts, including top-15s in three of the four majors this year. Statistically, Cantlay has been impressive across the board, ranking nearly in the top 50 in all four strokes gained categories, including fifth off the tee.

Max Homa
Age: 32
World ranking: 7
Ryder Cup entries: Making a debut
US Ryder Cup Record: Making a debut

Season at a Glance: Homa used a hot putter (fifth in strokes gained this season) to orchestrate a campaign that featured two wins (Fortinet, Farmers) and nine other top-10s, including three in a row. His last was a T-5 at BMW, where he shot a course-record 62 in the second round at Olympia Fields.

Xander Schauffele
Age: 29
World ranking: 6
Ryder Cup entries: 1 (2021)
US Ryder Cup Record: 3-1 (1-0 in quads, 2-0 in quads, 0-1 in singles)

The season at a glance: Schauffele’s T-8 in the BMW not only pushed him past Brooks Koepka for the final automatic spot on Team USA, but it also marked his best finish since claiming his second championship at Wells Fargo in May. However, he has been solid in the majors this year, finishing no worse than T-18 in any of them. And like Homa, Schauffele is a top-5 player on Tour (fourth in strokes gained) while sitting at No. 14 in strokes gained by green tee.