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This week’s US PGA Championship is the final opportunity for American players to qualify for the Ryder Cup, with the top eight ranked players at the close of play this weekend guaranteed a place on the charter to Paris next month

As it stands, only four players – Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed – have already qualified, with Bubba Watson and Jordan Spieth almost certain to join them.

That leaves two automatic places up for grabs and, speaking to the media ahead of the final men’s major of the season, vice-captain Tiger Woods admitted that there is one player that he, captain Jim Furyk and the rest of the US backroom team want on the side.

• How the US Ryder Cup team is shaping up entering the final week of qualifying

• The facts, figures and stats you NEED to know ahead of the US PGA Championship

Bryson DeChambeau

Two-time PGA Tour winner DeChambeau is currently sitting ninth on the US points list and, according to Woods, there’s a lot more to the 24-year-old Californian than his idiosyncratic approach to the game.

Bryson De Chambeau Aug 8

“Bryson is very analytical, as we all know, but what most of the guys don’t know is how competitive he is,” said Woods. “He is very fiery, very competitive, and that’s the type of person we want on the team.

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“We want someone who is fiery, who will bleed red, white and blue. We want those type of players on the team. Right now, I think he’s sitting at ninth and needs to have a good week to get in automatically. But we want him on that team.

“He’s playing great this year, and he’s been very consistent and he’s still got a little bit of work to do to get on the team automatically, but again we’re definitely looking at him as a pick as well.”


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Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor

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