The PGA Tour playoffs are underway, as players fight to make it through to the second round at the St. Jude Championship, many of them have eyes on a different prize.
These next three PGA Tour events are the last chance for American and International players to earn their spots at this year’s Presidents Cup.
Last year, Cameron Young made a late charge, winning the Wyndham Championship to catch Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley’s attention. He ended up being a captain’s pick, and was one of Team USA’s best players at the event.
Players are hoping to do the same thing late this season, and one player’s recent performances have caught the eye of American captain Brandt Snedeker. Could he be this year’s Cameron Young?
Brandt Snedeker says Michael Brennan has put himself in contention for a Presidents Cup place
Like Young did last year, Brennan had a breakthrough win at the Wyndham Championship to put his name in the mix for Team USA. This was Brennan’s second PGA Tour win, but the biggest of his career so far at an ideal time.
Snedeker said that this has put him in contention for the team going into the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Speaking on 5 Clubs, Team USA’s captain said, “It’s funny because the numbers keep changing every week. You think you have a pretty good idea and then you see a player like Michael last week, who I had the privilege of playing with a few weeks ago at the 3M and obviously you know what kind of player he is.
“You see what he did last week at Wyndham and I am going to use Cam Young as the example here. Cam Young last year at this time was a non factor really in a lot of people’s eyes. He goes and wins the Wyndham, has a great playoffs and turns into the Cam Young we know.
“I keep using him as the example of you can’t live in a bubble of these are the only guys I am looking at. You have to cast a wide net right now and the golf is going to dictate what happens. It’s not going to be a personal decision by me or anybody. The guys will let us know who is playing good or deserves to be picked.
“Fortunately for us as captains but unfortunately for a lot of the players we have a super deep team. We have a bunch of guys playing great and deserve to be on this team.
“The hardest decision we have to make will be who makes this team. I am going to have to make some phone calls after the Tour Championship to guys who don’t deserve to get them.
“They deserve to be on this team. They have done everything they have possibly asked of them and they are going to be left off. Unfortunately it’s not fair to them but that’s the situation we live off right now.”
The player who should be selected for the Presidents Cup team ahead of Michael Brennan
Brennan did grab Snedeker’s attention by winning the Wyndham, but he should not have been the only one. He wasn’t the only young player with bags of potential to win an event on the PGA Tour recently.
21-year-old Jackson Koivun, who had a dominant amateur career, turned pro after earning joint low amateur status at the US Open, and this highly touted young star hit the ground running.
Koivun, who has been dubbed golf’s next big thing, won the 3M Open in his third event as a pro, fending off Scottie Scheffler down the stretch on Sunday.
He’s expected to be one of the best players in the world in a few years’ time, and a mainstay on Team USA. Brennan, while also having lots of potential, does not have the same expectations as Koivun.
It would make far more sense therefore to take Koivun over Brennan to get him integrated into the environment of Team USA. This would set him up brilliantly for next year’s Ryder Cup at Adare Manor.
So unless Brennan has an impressive postseason campaign, Koivun should be Snedeker’s pick over him.