Scottie Scheffler officially named to U.S. Ryder Cup team as first auto qualifier

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson has his first player for next month’s matches in Rome.

The PGA of America announced Wednesday morning that Scottie Scheffler has officially locked up his spot on Johnson’s 12-man American side via points.

Scheffler, a rookie two years ago at Whistling Straits, is more than 12,000 points ahead of the next highest-ranked American in points, No. 2 Wyndham Clark, who figures to be close to securing his automatic spot as well. It’s an astonishing advantage thanks to a magical season that has included two wins and a stretch of 19 straight finishes of T-12 or better, a streak that ended with a T-23 last Sunday at The Open. Scheffler also leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained tee to green, off the tee and approach the green.

“What can I say about Scottie that hasn’t already been said,” Johnson told RyderCup.com. “He’s an amazing talent on the golf course, and someone that I know will do whatever is asked of him at the Ryder Cup with a smile on his face. He’s incredibly passionate about the Ryder Cup, and it’s nice to have the World No. 1 on the U.S. team this year.”

Scheffler went 2-0-1 in his Ryder Cup debut in 2021. His maiden cup performance included pairing with Bryson DeChambeau in four-ball to earn 1.5 points and then taking down world No. 1 Jon Rahm in singles, 4 and 3.

“The experience I had at the Ryder Cup two years ago in Wisconsin is something I will never forget and something I can’t wait to replicate in September,” Scheffler told RyderCup.com. “Zach’s an amazing leader and I’m ready to do whatever it takes to help him, and our team bring the Ryder Cup back home to the United States.”