Scottie Scheffler leads 6 qualifiers for US Ryder Cup team

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Bryson DeChambeau is returning to the Ryder Cup for the first time since 2021 as none of the Americans moved past him in the standings Sunday in the final week of qualifying for the six automatic spots on the U.S. team.

DeChambeau will be the second LIV Golf player in as many Ryder Cups for the Americans, following Brooks Koepka as a captain’s pick in 2023.

U.S. captain Keegan Bradley had indicated DeChambeau was going to be on the team either way. The U.S. Open champion a year ago, he earned big points by playing in the last group with Rory McIlroy at the Masters, where DeChambeau tied for fifth, and finishing as a runner-up in the PGA Championship five shots behind Scottie Scheffler.

DeChambeau wound up at No. 6 in the standings.

Harris English moved past him with his tie for 12th in the BMW Championship to finish at No. 5, qualifying for his first team on his own. English was a captain’s pick for the 2021 matches at Whistling Straits.

The leading six players for the Americans were Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, English and DeChambeau. All those spots — except for DeChambeau — were practically set going into the final qualifying event.

Justin Thomas would have needed to finish around the top 10 to supplant DeChambeau. Instead, he will need to rely on a captain’s pick for the second straight Ryder Cup.

The Ryder Cup is Sept. 26-28 at Bethpage Black. Bradley will announce six captain’s picks on Aug. 27, the Wednesday after next week’s Tour Championship.

“Most years it seems very obvious,” Scheffler said of the U.S. team. “Once we continue to keep playing next week, it will become more obvious. Right now, I think a couple of spots are still up for grabs.”

The Tour Championship in some ways becomes a final audition for Bradley, who is considering taking himself as a pick after finishing 11th in the standings.

Thomas was No. 7 followed by Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Maverick McNealy, Bradley, Brian Harman, Andrew Novak, Cameron Young and Patrick Cantlay.

All of the potential captain’s picks will be at East Lake next week for the Tour Championship.

Europe’s qualifying ends next week at the British Masters — players like Shane Lowry at the Tour Championship and Tyrrell Hatton at LIV Golf are not eligible for points. That makes Hatton at No. 5 a lock to be on another team. Lowry, who replaced Straka at No. 6, can only be passed by Rasmus Hojgaard next week.

Luke Donald also has six captain’s picks.

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