There will essentially be an open tryout for the final Ryder Cup playoff spot this week at East Lake.
Davis Love III will select one more player to round out his team at the conclusion of the Tour Championship. The idea is to give the U.S. captain the flexibility to choose a player who has gotten hot at the end of the season, like Billy Horschel did in 2014.
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Here are four guys who could be in the audition:
- Bubba Watson: The Georgia grad is No. 7 in the world and was No. 9 on the Ryder Cup points list. But since March, Watson has been pedestrian at best, with a tie for 37th at the Masters his top finish in a major.
- Justin Thomas: You get the idea that Love might prefer another younger player, such as Thomas. But he, like Watson, missed a cut in one of the playoff events. Twice he has tied for third (Players, Travelers), but each time did it with a great score in a stress-free final round.
- Ryan Moore: He didn't help himself by finishing 64th last week at the BMW. However, he was eighth or better in the first two FedEx playoff events and won the John Deere in August. Not long, but he hits fairways and has an excellent short game. A great effort at East Lake could put the former U.S. Amateur champion into consideration.
- Roberto Castro: The Georgia Tech grad is an extreme longshot, but must be considered if he wins. He played well at the Deutsche Bank and was third at the BMW.
It should make an interesting subplot to a great week of golf.
Six Georgians reach match play at Mid-Am
The contingent of Georgians came up empty at the U.S. Mid-Amateur and Women’s Mid-Amateur championships.
Three men qualified for match play and lost in the first round: Nic Daugharty of Valdosta, David Noll Jr. of Dalton and M. Tyler McKeever of Atlanta.
Three women reached match play: Margaret Shirley-Starosta of Atlanta, Emilie Meason of Atlanta and Kristyl Sunderman of McDonough. Shirley-Starosta, a finalist the last three years and champion in 2014, was eliminated in the quarterfinals. Meason lost in the round of 16 and Sunderman was beaten in the round of 32.
Waters wins Georgia Public Links: Chris Waters of Atlanta won the Georgia Public Links Championship for the second time, scoring a seven-shot win at the Cobblestone Golf Course. Waters, the 2014 champion, had rounds of 65-72 for a 5-under 137 to beat Billy Mitchell of Roswell, a two-time winner of the event.
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