Confirmed: US Ryder Cup Team 2014

Check out the US Ryder Cup Team that will take on Europe in the 2014 Ryder Cup being played at Gleneagles at the end of September, led by captain Tom Watson

US RYDER CUP TEAM

Name: Keegan Bradley

Age: 28 Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 1 (’12) Record: W3 L1 H0 Major Championship Wins: 1 2014 Qualification: Captains Pick

Bradley proved to be a breath of fresh air to the US team in ’12, partnering with Phil Mickelson in the first three sessions. Whist  ’14 has not been Bradley’s best year, he has still put together a season consisting of six top-10 finishes. A second place finish at Bay Hill, a T4 at the Greenbrier Classic and another T4 at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational all pushed Bradley’s name to the forefront of Captain Watson’s mind when selecting his wild-card picks.

Name: Rickie Fowler

Age: 25 Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 1 (’10) Record: W0 L1 H2 Major Championship Wins: 0 2014 Qualification: 2^nd on US Points List

After implementing some swing changes at the beginning of the year with new coach Butch Harmon, Fowler has gone from strength-to-strength in '14. He became only the third player in history to finish in the top-5 of all 4 major championships. He also had two top-8 finishes in WGC events, including a third place finish in the World Matchplay Championship in Tucson, Arizona. In his Ryder Cup debut 4 years ago at Celtic Manor, he dramatically birdied the last 4 holes of his singles match on Sunday to get half a point against Eduardo Molinari.

Name: Jim Furyk

Age: 44 Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 8 (’97, ’99, ’02, ’04, ’06, ’08, ’10, ’12) Record: W9 L17 H4 Major Championship Wins: 1 2014 Qualification: 3^rd on US Points List

A stalwart of the US team, having played in a combined 15 Ryder and Presidents Cup matches over the course of his career. 2014 has been another solid year for Furyk, with nine top-10 finishes and no missed cuts en route to amassing almost $5 million in earnings on the PGA Tour. Impressively, this will be his ninth consecutive Ryder Cup.

Name: Zach Johnson

Age: 38 Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 3 (’06, ’10, ’12) Record: W6 L4 H1 Major Championship Wins: 1 2014 Qualification: 9^th on US Points List

Johnson clinched the ninth and final automatic qualifying spot on the US team, after a consistent season that has seen him miss only 2 of 24 cuts on the PGA Tour. He won the season opening Tournament of Champions event back in January, as well as holing out from the fairway to beat Tiger Woods in a playoff at the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge.

Name: Matt Kuchar 

Age: 36 Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 2 (’10, ’12) Record: W3 L2 H2 Major Championship Wins: 0 2014 Qualification: 6^th on US Points List

Yet another extremely consistent season for Kuchar, which has seen him make 20 of 22 cuts. The highlight of his year was victory at the RBC Heritage where he holed out in dramatic fashion from a greenside bunker to prevail by 1 stroke. He has yet to lose a match in either foursomes or fourballs, and will look to build on an already solid overall 3-2-2 record in what will be his third straight Ryder Cup appearance for the US team.

Name: Hunter Mahan

Age: 32 Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 2 (’08, ’10) Record: W2 L3 H2 Major Championship Wins: 0 2014 Qualification: Captains Pick

After being overlooked for a captain’s pick in ’12, Mahan will have been disappointed to again miss out on automatic qualification. His victory since the automatic nine were decided, at The Barclays at the end of August, virtually cemented his position as a wild-card pick. He will be looking for redemption from ’10 at Celtic Manor when a duffed pitch on the par-3 17^th, costing him his match and the US the Ryder Cup.

Name: Phil Mickelson 

Age: 44 Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 9 (’95, ’97, ’99, ’02, ’04, ’06, ’08, ’10, ’12) Record: W14 L18 H6 Major Championship Wins: 5 2014 Qualification: 5^th on US Points List

The most experienced player on the US team, Mickelson has played in an astonishing 9 Ryder Cups and 10 Presidents Cups. Having been outside the 9 qualifying spots for most of the year, he secured his spot with a second place finish at the PGA Championship in August. In an up-and-down season that has seen Phil not finish in the top-10 in any other tournaments, he did manage ten top-25’s in twenty tournaments. After their formidable partnership 2 years ago, Mickelson and Bradley are likely to feature heavily in the first two days play at Gleneagles.

Name: Patrick Reed 

Age: 24 Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 0 Record: NA Major Championship Wins: 0 2014 Qualification: 8^th on US Points List

Following his breakout year on the PGA Tour in '13, Reed impressively won twice in ‘14 including a record setting 27-under-par total victory at the Humana Challenge. He also went on to win the WGC Cadillac Championship at the newly redesigned Trump National Doral, and later on in the year tied for fourth at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational.

Name: Webb Simpson

Age: 29 Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 1 (’12) Record: W2 L2 H0 Major Championship Wins: 1 2014 Qualification: Captains Pick

Simpson’s first taste of the Ryder Cup came at Medinah in ’12 where he won 2 from a possible 4 points. He has been part of 2 victorious Presidents Cup teams, and will have been picked by Watson as a result of his recent good form that has seen him produce two top-10 finishes in 3 starts. He was won this season albeit way back in October of last year with victory at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

Name: Jordan Spieth 

Age: 21 Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 0 Record: NA Major Championship Wins: 0 2014 Qualification: 7^th on US Points List

The PGA Tour’s rookie of the year in ‘13, Spieth’s ‘14 campaign has been highlighted by a T2 at the Masters and a T4 at The Players Championship. 17 top-25 finishes in 25 events have propelled him up the world rankings, including a T5 at the Accenture World Matchplay earlier in the year. Spieth also won multiple US Junior Amateur’s before turning pro, joining Tiger Woods as the only other player to ever do so. He got his first taste of representing the US as a professional at the 2013 Presidents Cup, winning 2 of his 4 matches.

Name: Jimmy Walker 

Age: 35 Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 0 Record: NA Major Championship Wins: 0 2014 Qualification: 4^th on US Points List

With 3 wins this season, Walker’s involvement at Gleneagles has long been established. His maiden victory on the PGA Tour came at the Frys.com Open, with further success coming at the Sony Open in Hawaii and the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Walker has also has decent showings in the big events this year, making the cut in all the Major and WGC Championships, as well as The Players Championship.

Name: Bubba Watson 

Age: 35 Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 2 (’10, ’12) Record: W3 L5 H0 Major Championship Wins: 2 2014 Qualification: 1^st on US Points List

The two-time Master’s champion will be making his third Ryder Cup appearance this September, as a result of a multiple win season for the Florida native. Two months prior to his second career Master’s victory, Bubba won the Northern Trust Open at Riviera. Other notable performances in ‘14 include T2 finishes at both the Phoenix Open and the WGC Cadillac Championship, as well as a third place finish at Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament.

Captain

Name: Tom Watson Age: 63 Ryder Cup Appearances: 4 (’77, ’81, ’83, ‘89) Record: W10 L4 H1 Major Championship Wins: 8

Watson comes to Gleneagles having led the US to victory before, when he captained the ’93 side that triumphed 15-13 at The Belfry. This was the last time the US were victorious on European soil, and with 12 new players this time around, Watson will no doubt be looking to replicate similar success. An 8-time major champion in his own right, Watson also notched up 39 wins on the PGA Tour and amassed a total of 71 professional victories worldwide. He won a remarkable 5 Open Championship’s and won 6 PGA Tour Player of the Year awards, and of all the players who challenged Jack Nicklaus’ supremacy, Tom Watson is widely regarded as having carved out the greatest legacy.

Vice Captain

Name: Raymond Floyd

Age: 72 Ryder Cup Appearances: 8 (‘69, ’75, ’77, ’81, ’83, ’85, ’91, ‘93) Record: W12 L16 H3 Major Championship Wins: 4

Floyd, a 4-time major champion, captained the US team to a tie in ’89 at The Belfry. He also served as a vice-captain to Paul Azinger in ’08, when the US triumphed over Europe at Valhalla. Inducted into the WGHOF in ’89, Raymond notched up 22 victories on the PGA Tour, and was an 8-time Ryder Cup player between ’69 and ’93.

Vice Captain Name: Andy North

Age: 63 Ryder Cup Appearances: 1 (’85) Record: W0 L3 H0 Major Championship Wins: 2

Whist North only won 3 times on the PGA Tour, 2 of these were US Open’s (’78 and ’85). He currently works as a golf analyst for ESPN, as well as playing occasionally on the Champions Tour. He has only played in one Ryder Cup, in which he lost all 3 of his matches and failed to contribute to team US in their 11.5 – 16.5 defeat to Europe at The Belfry.

Vice Captain Name: Steve Stricker

Age: 47 Ryder Cup Appearances: 3 (’08, ’10, ‘12) Record: W3 L7 H1 Major Championship Wins: 0

Stricker was part of the losing US team at Medinah in ’12, and will be disappointed not to have played his way onto the team this time around. A veteran of the last three US teams, Stricker brings recent experience that should bode well for the rookies experiencing their first Ryder Cup match. Went 0-4-0 in ’12, partnering with Woods’ three times to no avail.