The competition is heating up to secure spots on the United States squad for the 43rd playing of the Ryder Cup, and some of the biggest stars in the game find themselves atop the leaderboard after this weekend’s Charles Schwab Challenge.
Leading the way in the race for spots on the U.S. roster is 2020 Masters champion Dustin Johnson, who maintained a comfortable edge over 2020 U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau. Johnson currently leads DeChambeau by nearly 1,400 points in the standings, according to the latest rankings released Tuesday.
In third place is Justin Thomas, who currently finds himself in second place in the Official World Golf Ranking. Rounding out the top five are Brooks Koepka, who was in contention last weekend at the PGA Championship before Phil Mickelson locked down the title, and Collin Morikawa, who burst onto the golf scene in a big way with his performances in 2020, including a win at the PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park.
Xander Schauffele is currently in sixth place, nearly 1,500 points ahead of Patrick Reed for that spot.
The top six American players in Ryder Cup points will automatically make captain Steve Stricker’s roster for the biennial event, with points tabulated through the BMW Championship later this year. The final six spots will be chosen by Stricker in the lead-up to the event.
Reed, Tony Finau, Jordan Spieth and Daniel Berger round out the top 10 for the American squad. Jason Kokrak, who won this weekend’s Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial, is in 13th place, while Mickelson, who won last week’s PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, is in 17th place.
The race to make the European squad is currently led by Jon Rahm, who holds a narrow lead over Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrell Hatton. Rory McIlroy is in fourth place, with France’s Victor Perez locking down the fifth spot.
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Whistling Straits, located in Kohler, Wisconsin, will host the 2021 Ryder Cup on its Straits Course, which was designed by Pete and Alice Dye. The course has played host to three PGA Championships, including the 2015 edition of the tournament, and the 2007 U.S. Senior Open.
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