Team Europe

Darren Clarke - European Captain - Wake Forrest University Clarke was born in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, and in 1987 he played collegiate golf at Wake Forest University .A Ryder Cup legend who this weekend, captained his side for the first time. The finest moment of a distinguish career came in 2011 when he claimed his maiden major title at The 140th Open Championship, holding off Americans Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson to clinch a thrilling victory at Royal St Georges. The 14-time European Tour winner produced arguably his best Ryder Cup display in 2006 when he was unbeaten in his three matches as Europe won an emotional contest at the K Club. Was vice-captain in 2010 as Colin Montgomerie led the Europeans to victory at Celtic Manor and again at Medinah two years later.     Matthew Fitspatrick - European Player - Northwestern University In September 2013 Fitzpatrick enrolled at the Northwestern University to play college golf with the Northwestern Wildcats. One of The European Tour’s rising stars, the affable Englishman already has two victories to his name, with the first coming in memorable circumstances on home soil at the 2015 British Masters supported by Sky Sports, where he won wire-to-wire in front of packed galleries at Woburn Golf Club. The 22 year old did not have to wait long before claiming a second European Tour victory at the Nordea Masters in June thanks to another dominant display. First came to prominence courtesy of a stellar amateur career in which he won the 2013 U.S. Amateur Championship as well as being the Number One ranked amateur for a total of 21 weeks.     Thomas Pieters - European Player - University Of Illinois In 2010, he joined the University of Illinois for which he won the individual 2011 Jack Nicklaus Invitational and the individual 2012 NCAA Division I Championship in his second year; the next year, he finished second with his team at the 2013 NCAA Division I Championship and won the individual 2013 Big Ten Conference Championship. Finished the Ryder Cup qualifying period in style by finishing second in his defence of the D+D REAL Czech Masters and then winning the Made in Denmark tournament to claim his third European Tour title. Having impressed in his rookie season on the European Tour in 2014, won twice in consecutive appearances in 2015, first at the D+D REAL Czech Masters in August and then a fortnight later at the KLM Open. Long tipped as one of the stars of the future, he came through all three stages of the 2013 Qualifying School.     Danny Willett - European Player - Jacksonville State University Willett signed with FirstPointUSA in 2005 and secured a golf scholarship he played two seasons for Jacksonville State University in the U.S. During his time with JSU, he was the 2006 Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and won medalist honours at the 2007 OVC Championship. He was a first-team All-OVC performer and a member of the OVC's All-Tournament Team in both seasons. This has been a year to remember for Willett, thanks largely to his sensational maiden Major Championship victory at The Masters in April, which was his second win of the season following the Omega Dubai Desert Classic title he picked up in February. The Englishman was part of Darren Clarke’s victorious European team at the EURASIA CUP back in January, when he contributed two out of a possible three points. The 28 year old pushed Rory McIlory all the way in the 2015 Race to Dubai before eventually finishing second in the rankings, after a superb season which included his wins in the Omega European Masters and the Nedbank Golf Challenge. His first European Tour win came at the 2012 BMW International. Before joining the professional ranks, he was a member of Great Britain and Ireland’s 2007 Walker Cup Team    

Team USA

Davis Love III - USA Captain - University Of North Carolina Davis attended high school at Glynn Academy, Brunswick, Georgia, and later the University of North Carolina (1983–85), where he was a three-time all-American and all-Atlantic Coast Conference golfer. He won six titles during his collegiate career, including the ACC tournament championship in 1984. A veteran of six Ryder Cups as a player, Davis Love III also served as an assistant captain to Corey Pavin in the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor in Wales and was the Captain for the 2012 matches at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois. Love, the 1997 PGA Champion, is a 21-time winner on the PGA Tour. With his victory in the 2015 Wyndham Championship, Love became the third-oldest winner in PGA Tour history. With his 2016 Captaincy, Love becomes just the eighth man in history to serve a stint as U.S. Captain on more than one occasion.     Jim Furyk - USA Vice Captain - University Of Arizona He played college golf at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where he was an All-American twice, and led the Wildcats to their first (and only) NCAA title in 1992. Outside of Phil Mickelson, no player has made more starts in Ryder Cup play for the U.S. than Furyk. An astounding nine times, Furyk has teed it up for the red, white and blue, compiling a 10-20-4 record. Like Mickelson, this U.S. mainstay is sure to be a future captain.     Tom Lehman - USA Vice Captain - University Of Minnesota Lehman played college golf at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, graduated with a degree in business/accounting, and turned professional in 1982. Lehman, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour and a nine-time winner on the PGA Tour Champions, was the winner of the 1996 Open Championship. In 2006, Lehman was the U.S. Captain at the K Club, which the American's lost 18 1/2- 9 1/2.     Steve Stricker - USA Vice Captain - University Of Illinois A 1990 graduate of the University of Illinois, Stricker earned All-American honors as a member of the golf team in 1988 and 1989. A 12-time winner on the PGA Tour, Steve Stricker has made three appearances for the U.S. in the Ryder Cup. Stricker's first Ryder Cup start came in 2008 at Valhalla, which also happens to be the last time the Americans won the biennial matches. Stricker continues to excel on the PGA Tour, even while playing an abbreviated schedule to spend more time at home with his family. He finished fourth in the 2016 Open Championship at Royal Troon, his second-best finish ever in a major, behind only his runner-up showing in the 1998 PGA Championship at Sahalee.     Bubba Watson - USA Vice Captain - University Of Georgia Watson played golf for Faulkner State Community College in nearby Baldwin County, Alabama, where he was a junior college All-American. He transferred to the University of Georgia, the defending NCAA champions, and played for the Bulldogs in 2000 and 2001. As a junior, Watson helped lead the Bulldogs to the SEC title in 2000. The 37-year-old Watson, 2 time US Masters Champion is a three-time Ryder Cup veteran (2010, ’12, and ’14) that played for Love during the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah, finishing 2-2-0. Watson has also represented the United States in the 2016 Summer Olympics and in two Presidents Cups (2011, ’15).     Tiger Woods - USA Vice Captain - Stanford University Woods was recruited very heavily by college golf powers, and chose Stanford University, the 1994 NCAA Division I champions. He enrolled at Stanford in the fall of 1994 under a golf scholarship, winning his first collegiate event, the 40th Annual William H. Tucker Invitational, that September. He selected a major in economics, and was nicknamed "Urkel" by college teammate Notah Begay III. In 1995, he successfully defended his U.S. Amateur title at the Newport Country Club in Rhode Island and was voted Pac-10 Player of the Year, NCAA First Team All-American, and Stanford's Male Freshman of the Year (an award that encompasses all sports). At age 19, Woods participated in his first PGA Tour major, the 1995 Masters Tournament, and tied for 41st as the only amateur to make the cut. At age 20 in 1996, he became the first golfer to win three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles and won the NCAA individual golf championship. In winning the Silver Medal as leading amateur at The Open Championship, he tied the record for an amateur aggregate score of 281. He left college after two years and turned professional. In 1996, Woods moved out of California, stating in 2013 that it was due to the state's tax rate.     Rickie Fowler - USA Player - Stanford University After high school Rickie attended Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. He posted his first collegiate victory at the Fighting Illini Invitational hosted by the University of Illinois on October 1, 2007, by shooting a 203 (70-63-70) to win the tournament by one stroke. A fan-favorite since turning professional in 2009, Fowler was known mostly for his flashy clothes. Over the last few years, however, his game has been just as flashy (see 2014, where he finished in the top 5 at all four majors). He has proven himself as a leader for the U.S. -- something his peers compliment him on often. He had eight top-10 finishes in 23 starts this season, highlighted by a runner-up finish in the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Fowler, along with Jordan Spieth, may just be this generation’s Tiger-Phil when it comes to regular U.S. Ryder Cup locks and leaders.     J.B Holmes - USA Player - University Of Kentucky He attended the University of Kentucky in Lexington, helping to achieve SEC Title while there, and represented the United States in the 2005 Walker Cup before turning professional later that year. The lone Ryder Cup start for Holmes was like a fairy tale. Playing at Valhalla in his home state of Kentucky, Holmes put together a 2-0-1 record as a member of the last winning U.S. team in 2008. Holmes is also a remarkable story. After brain surgery in 2011, he has won twice on the PGA Tour. Holmes collected a boatload of his points in 2016 with a T4 at the Masters and a third-place showing at the Open Championship (double points were available at the majors). He played well at the BMW Championship, earning a T4 and an invitation to the season-ending Tour Championship.     Dustin Johnson - USA Player - Coastal Carolina University Johnson was born in Columbia, South Carolina, and played collegiate golf at Coastal Carolina University. A two-time Ryder Cup participant (2010, 2012), Johnson is hoping three times is a charm – as in his third Ryder Cup appearance yields his first time on the winning side. The long-hitting Johnson has a 4-3 record in seven Ryder Cup matches and is a perfect 2-0 in singles play. There’s no denying that Johnson -- the No. 2-ranked player in the world -- steps it up for the big events, evidenced by his first major championship victory earlier this summer at Oakmont in the U.S. Open, followed by a win in his next start at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. He also boasts two other World Golf Championships victories, as well as three wins in FedExCup Playoffs tournaments -- most recently at the BMW Championship earlier in September -- and 13 total top-10 finishes in majors dating back to 2009.   Zach Johnson - USA Player - Drake University Following graduation from high school in 1994, Johnson enrolled at Drake University in Des Moines. As the number-two player on the Drake golf team, he led the Bulldogs to three NCAA regional meets and two Missouri Valley championships. Johnson's uncle, Tom Harris, qualified for the 1975 NAIA national tournament. Johnson, 40, is a veteran of four Ryder Cups. He compiled a 6-6-2 record in those starts, but has yet to be a member of a winning U.S. team. Though far from the bomb and gouge game his younger teammates possess, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better “grinder” in golf than Johnson, which is a tremendous asset in the match-play format. He plays within himself, sticks to a game plan and makes few mistakes. Those attributes are what helped him to win the 2007 Masters and last year’s Open Championship at St. Andrews.    

Brooks Koepka - USA Player - Florida State University

Koepka was born in West Palm Beach, Florida but raised in Lake Worth, Florida. He attended Cardinal Newman High School. He played college golf at Florida State University where he won three events and was a three-time All-American. The Ryder Cup rookie muscled his way onto the team with a stretch of gutsy performances this summer. The big hitter nearly withdrew from the PGA Championship at Baltusrol with an injury but played on with a heavily-taped ankle and finished T4. He followed that up with a T9 the next week at the Travelers Championship. Prior to the season’s final major, Koepka finished in the top 10 four times in six starts after the Players Championship. His worst finish in that stretch was a T13 at the U.S. Open. The 26-year-old will be a welcome addition to the team. Many felt he was deserving of Captain's Pick consideration in 2014 after compiling a stellar season on the European Tour. That never came to fruition. Koepka was the lone rookie among the top-8 automatic American qualifiers.  

Matt Kutcher - USA Player - Georgia Institute of Technology

Kuchar was born in Winter Park, Florida, to a Ukrainian family. He went on to graduate from Seminole High School in Sanford in 1996. Later he attended Georgia Tech in Atlanta, where he was a two-time first-team All-American on the Yellow Jackets' golf team. After narrowly losing in the semi-finals of the 1996 U.S. Amateur championship to Tiger Woods, Kuchar won the title in 1997 (his final amateur event before turning pro). He received the Haskins Award in 1998 as the nation's top collegiate golfer, and was the low amateur at both The Masters and U.S. Open. He turned pro in 2000 after earning his bachelor's degree in management.    

Phil Mickleson - USA Player - Arizona State University

Mickelson attended Arizona State University in Tempe on a golf scholarship and graduated in 1992. During his tenure at ASU, Mickelson became the face of amateur golf in the United States, capturing three NCAA individual championships and three Haskins Awards (1990, 1991, 1992) as the outstanding collegiate golfer. With three individual NCAA championships, Mickelson shares the record for most individual NCAA championships alongside Ben Crenshaw. Mickelson also led the Sun Devils to the NCAA National Championship in 1990. Over the course of his collegiate career, he won 16 tournaments.^[12] Mickelson was the second collegiate golfer to earn first-team All-American honors all four years. In 1990, he also became the first golfer with a left-handed swing to win the U.S. Amateur title.    

Ryan Moore - USA Player - University Of Las Vegas, Nevada

Moore accepted a scholarship to UNLV, where he lettered for four seasons for the Rebels and graduated in 2005 with a degree in communications and public relations. During 2004 prior to his senior year of college, Moore had one of the most impressive seasons in the modern era of amateur golf. He captured multiple titles, including the U.S. Amateur, the Western Amateur, the U.S. Amateur Public Links (also won in 2002) and the NCAA individual championship. In 2005 he was given the Ben Hogan Award as the top college player. Moore has four top-10 finishes in his last six starts, highlighted by his victory at the John Deere Classic and impressive finish at the Tour Championship where he battled Rory McIlroy for four pressure-packed playoff holes at East Lake.    

Patrick Reed - USA Player - Augusta State University

Reed started his college golf at the University of Georgia in 2008–09. After issues that resulted in his expulsion he enrolled at Augusta State University, where he majored in business. He helped lead Augusta State to NCAA Division I Golf Championship in 2010 and 2011. Reed seems as though he was born for match play. In his rookie Ryder Cup appearance at Gleneagles in 2014, Reed was the U.S.’s best player, putting together an impressive 3-0-1 record while also endearing himself to U.S. fans by becoming a villain of sorts when he shushed the European crowds after holing a big putt. Reed proved at Gleneagles that he’s not scared – he actually thrives – on the grandest stage in the game. Reed's solid play has carried into 2016. He ended the regular season at No. 7 in the FedExCup standings with runner-up finishes at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and the Valero Texas Open and immediately moved to No. 1 in the standings -- and No. 4 on the final Ryder Cup USA points list -- with a victory at the Barclays. It was the fifth win of his PGA Tour career.    

Brandt Snedeker - USA Player - Vanderbilt University

Snedeker was born in Nashville, Tennessee to Larry and Candice Snedeker. He was introduced to golf by his maternal grandmother, who managed a golf course in Missouri. He attended Harding Academy, Montgomery Bell Academy and then Vanderbilt University, where he was initiated into Kappa Alpha Order by the Chi Chapter. He won the U.S. Amateur Public Links in 2003 before turning professional in 2004. Snedeker’s lone Ryder Cup appearance ended in heartbreak. He was a member of the 2012 team at Medinah that came up on the wrong end of a miracle final day for the Europeans. The loss stung Snedeker, who really wanted to win for Captain Davis Love III. Fantastic play early on in 2016 -- including top-3 finishes in three consecutive starts, highlighted by a Farmers Insurance Open win -- put Snedeker in a great position to make his second Ryder Cup squad (again, with Love as captain). Snedeker had two top-5 finishes in his final three regular season events to shoot back into the top 8.    

Jordan Speith - USA Player - University Of Texas

Spieth played college golf for the University of Texas. Spieth was a member of the 2011 Walker Cup team, and played in three of the four rounds, halving his foursomes match and winning both singles matches. In his freshman year at Texas, Spieth won three events and led the team in scoring average. He helped his team win the NCAA championship, was named to the All-Big 12 Team, Big 12 Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year, and was a first-team All-American. The No. 4-ranked player in the world, Spieth was one of the lone bright spots for the U.S. in an otherwise forgettable showing at Gleneagles in 2014, compiling an impressive rookie record of 2-0-1. Since then, Spieth has been a force on the world stage, winning two majors in 2015 – the Masters and U.S. Open – while finishing T4 in the Open Championship and second in the PGA Championship. He got off to a red-hot start when the calendar flipped to 2016 as well, winning the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. He was runner-up in the 2016 Masters and then won the Colonial shortly thereafter.    

Jimmy Walker - USA Player - Baylor University

Born in Oklahoma City, Walker and his family later moved to Texas to the San Antonio area, and he graduated from Canyon High School in New Braunfels in 1997. He played college golf at Baylor University in Waco and turned professional at age 22 in 2001. Walker was the No. 4 qualifier for the 2014 Ryder Cup in Gleneagles, Scotland, where he got his first taste of the biennial matches. Walker, who won the 2016 PGA Championship at Baltusrol for his first major triumph, compiled a 1-1-3 record in his Ryder Cup debut. He and Rickie Fowler were the only two U.S. players to compete in all five matches in the 2014 Ryder Cup. The duo were partners for the first four sessions, where they had three halved matches. Walker's 2 1/2 points in the 2014 Ryder Cup tied him with Jordan Spieth for second-most on the U.S. team, trailing only Patrick Reed's 3 1/2-point effort. All in all, Walker has been victorious six times on the PGA Tour, including an amazing stretch of three victories from October of 2013 to February of 2014.  

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