Dustin Johnson strengthens his chances for the US Ryder Cup spot
Following a great finish at The Barclays last week, Dustin Johnson shared the fourth spot at the Deutsche Bank Championship and strengthened his chances of being selected for the US Ryder Cup team.
Prior to the start of the second leg of the US PGA Tour Playoffs, the US Ryder Cup team captain Davis Love III announced that he will announce the four pick’s on Tuesday.
The selected players will then join the eight automatic qualifiers, to contend against the European team in the biennial event, scheduled from September 28 to 30, 2012.
After a strong finish on Monday, Johnson seemed really happy and stated that he really wanted to be a part of the team this year.
"I'm a little bit (nervous). I really want to play on the team," Johnson told reporters after shooting a one-under par 70 in the final round. "I really think that I can help the team, and it's something that I really enjoy doing, so hopefully captain Love
will pick me".
Despite the fact that he failed to maintain consistency in the final round – he posted 67-68-65 in the first three rounds – he still managed to break the par mark and carded a one-under par 70 on Monday.
His final score at the end of the tournament was 14-under par, six behind the winner and world number one, Rory McIlroy.
In the meantime, Steve Stricker, one of the safest contenders for the four captain’s picks, tied for the 13th position on the leaderboard. Stricker has a proven track record in the Ryder Cup, especially when he teamed up with the legendary Tiger Woods.
"I'm calm. Hopefully I have a good feeling I'm going to get that call," Stricker said. "I've talked to Davis enough, I've talked to enough other players that are on the team, and it sounds good for me. It would be real important because it's right there
in my backyard. It's two hours from home”.
Jim Furyk is also expected to get a nod because of his experience in the event – he represented the US team seven times in the past.
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