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PGA last stop for Ryder Cup points Maggert, others trying to get on squad with final chance
Posted: Friday August 06, 1999 01:28 PM
MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) -- Jeff Maggert knew what he had to do and tried not to look at a leaderboard. Under the Sunday pressure of a major championship, he reminded himself to take it one shot at a time and get the best score he could. Sound like a recipe for trying to win the PGA Championship? No, just another player trying to win the tournament within a tournament that occurs every two years -- making the Ryder Cup team with a strong finish in the final event to earn points. Maggert closed with a 66 at Winged Foot two years ago to make the last team, just as Brad Faxon had done in 1995 when he shot a 63 -- tying the lowest score ever in a major championship -- to finish among the top 10 in points. Who will it be at Medinah Country Club? Heading into the PGA, four players have mathematically sewn up spots -- David Duval, Tiger Woods, Payne Stewart and Davis Love III. Mark O'Meara, Hal Sutton and Justin Leonard are virtual locks. That leaves Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Maggert tenuously guarding the 8-10 spots on the list, separated by a mere 19.5 points, with a litany of possibilities behind them. Points are awarded only for top-10 finishes, but they count double in a major championship -- 300 points go to the winner at Medinah, down to 20 points available for 10th place outright. Steve Stricker, No. 11 on the points list, would need to finish at least eighth alone to have a chance to overtake Maggert, who is No. 10. Tom Lehman, who has a 3-2-2 Ryder Cup record and is regarded as one of the toughest match-play competitors, is at No. 13 and would have to finish fifth or better. Fred Couples has played on every U.S. team since 1989. His five Ryder Cup berths are the most among active players. But Couples, who hasn't played since late June, would need at least fourth at Medinah -- although a top-10 might be enough for Ben Crenshaw to use one of two captain's picks on him. "This is the time where guys' incentive level is way up, and it's on their mind and they're trying awfully hard," Crenshaw said. The Ryder Cup matches will be played Sept. 24-26 at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., site of three U.S. Opens. Crenshaw has suggested he may favor players with a good record in the Open, which could benefit players like Lehman and Lee Janzen (No. 22). Lehman went over to The Country Club to play after his first round in the Greater Hartford Open last week, hopeful of a return with the rest of the U.S. team that will be announced after the final round at Medinah. "It's the type of golf course that you have to play with your head," Crenshaw said. "It's an approach-shot course, very small greens. You have to have that right club in your hand. I will say this -- I'm extremely excited about the players that have made the team so far." Crenshaw will announce his two captain's choices the Monday morning after the PGA Championship. Europe's team will be decided the following week after the BMW International in Germany. Six of the top 10 players on Europe's current point list have never played in a Ryder Cup. That includes Jean Van de Velde, who threw away the British Open with a triple bogey on the 72nd hole at Carnoustie. Told he had a good chance to make the team, the Frenchman said, "Great. I'll try to finish my matches before 18." Crenshaw has reason to be pleased with how the U.S. team is shaping up. The only player in the top 10 with no Ryder Cup experience is Duval, who is No. 1 in the world ranking. Stricker has never played in the matches and likely would be passed over when it comes to wild-card selections, just like Duval was two years ago. The alternative is to play his way onto the team, just like Maggert and Faxon have done the past two times.
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