Final Ryder Cup Spot Down to Finau or Schauffele

The Ryder Cup is now only a few weeks away from teeing off in Paris but the teams are still yet to be set. Jim Furyk looks to have a tough decision filling out the U.S. roster.

Three of the four Ryder Cup picks were selected by Furyk this past week, where he chose Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Bryson DeChambeau to join the squad along with the automatic qualifiers. According to the Billy Horschel rule, however, Furyk still has one more pick to make this week. And that pick seems to be one of the toughest, coming down to either Tony Finau or Xander Schauffele.

Many were surprised that Finau wasn’t one of the first three captains picks after a strong season but he now finds himself locked in a tight battle with Schauffele for the final spot. Both are quite deserving of the nod but the question that will likely be the decider, in this case, is whether Furyk is looking for consistent performance or the hottest golfer at the moment.

USA’s Tony Finau and USA’s Xander Schauffele shake hands on the 18th…

USA’s Tony Finau and USA’s Xander Schauffele shake hands on the 18th 18th during day two of The Open Championship 2018 at Carnoustie Golf Links, Angus. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

Finau seems to be the more consistent of the two golfers, as he has looked good all year. Tony has 10 top-ten finishes this year, showing his consistency but he actually finished below Schauffele in the automatic qualifier rankings. Schuaffele has top-six finishes at THE PLAYERS, U.S. Open, and The Open Championship this year, giving him more overall points.

He’s also on fire right now as one of the players on top of the leaderboard at the BMW Championship this week.

Both have been asked about their prospects for making the team and Schauffele actually had a surprising answer. “I’m in a position where I feel like a win is the only way I’d even be in consideration,” Schauffele said. “Tony, obviously, is the guy right now.” While Tony may be the guy right now, Schauffele has a good shot to win this weekend and that could change things dramatically.

Regardless of which player is chosen for the final spot, the U.S. should have a strong team heading into Paris. And if all goes well, it will be their first Ryder Cup win in Europe in almost three decades.

So, who do you think it will be? Weigh in on our Twitter poll now:

Time to weigh in…who will be Furyk’s final #rydercup selection?

— Golficity (@Golficity) September 10, 2018

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