Olazabal can bank on Rory McIlroy but rival Davis Love faces dilemma

 
David Smith4 September 2012

Ryder Cup captains like their team members to be carrying form into matches, so Jose Maria Olazabal will be delighted by Rory McIlroy’s third US PGA Tour victory of the season at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston.

But if Olazabal, whose 12-man European team was announced last week, can now rest relatively easy ahead of the 39th Ryder Cup to be hosted by Medinah Country Club near Chicago at the end of the month, United States captain Davis Love faces a selection headache before he announces his four picks later today.

McIlroy (above), who beat South African Louis Oosthuizen to the Deutsche title by one stroke on the strength of a final round front nine of four under par, said: “Davis has such a tough job on his hands. I wouldn’t want to be in his position deciding who to select.”

Tiger Woods, whose third-place finish yesterday saw him become the first golfer to pass the 100 million dollar mark in career earnings, Bubba Watson, Jason Dufner, Webb Simpson, Keegan Bradley, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar and Phil Mickelson are already qualified.

With Dufner, Bradley and Simpson being Ryder Cup rookies, Love will want to balance his side with experience so Steve Stricker, who plays so well with Woods, and Cup veteran Jim Furyk are certain to receive call-ups.

That leaves Dustin Johnson, tied fourth in Boston, Brandt Snedeker, the best putter on the US Tour, Hunter Mahan, Nick Watney and Rickie Fowler in contention for the remaining two spots.

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