Maggiore: My 2024 U.S.A. Presidents Cup Captain’s picks

The 2024 PGA Tour season has come to a close and Scottie Scheffler, after a dominant campaign, has finally claimed the FedEx Cup. With the 2024 season done, the time to collect points in the Presidents Cup standings has also wrapped up and it's time for Team U.S.A. Captain Jim Furyk to make his six selections to join the team.

Below are my picks to be selected to represent the U.S.A alongside Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay, and Sahith Theegala at Royal Montreal Golf Club later this month!

SAM BURNS

Burns is safely inside the top-12 in points and is coming off two top-10 finishes and a T13 (based on normal 72 hole scoring) in the FedEx Cup playoffs. He enters in terrific form and will most likely be the playing partner of his good friend Scottie Scheffler.

TONY FINAU

Finau quietly had a solid summer and got himself in a comfortable spot on the points list. A missed cut at the Open Championship and a mediocre showing at the Tour Championship are really the only blemishes on his record. Dating back to the PGA Championship in May, Finau has eight top 20 finishes with three of those being top-10’s. Between the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup Finau has a 6-5-3 record in match play events.

KEEGAN BRADLEY

I made the mistake of leaving Bradley off the team in my Ryder Cup predictions last year and I’m not making that mistake again. He’s coming off of a win at the BMW Championship last week and is one of the guys that you know loves to rep the red, white, and blue. The 2025 Ryder Cup captain should easily be a lock to play for the U.S.A in Montreal.

RUSSELL HENLEY

A Sunday 63 at the Tour Championship should’ve helped Henley solidify his spot on the American roster. The 35 year old has been extremely solid all year long, missing just one cut and finishing in the top-10 seven times, two of those being in major championships. The wins weren’t there but the good play was and Henley should be making his professional debut on a Team U.S.A. roster. 

JUSTIN THOMAS

I’m sure this one will ruffle some feathers, but I’m putting Justin Thomas on the Presidents Cup team this year. Did he have an up and down year? Yes. But he had eight top-10 finishes (technically seven but he was 7th at East Lake if you take out the starting strokes), including a T8 at the PGA Championship. He’s one of those guys that loves to play for his country and boasts a 10-3-2 record at the Presidents Cup. If he’s not selected for the team then I completely understand that decision. However, JT is on my team any time he’s given the chance.

DENNY MCCARTHY

Match play events can often come down to the putting and there’s not many guys I want facing big putts more than Denny McCarthy. McCarthy was 3rd in strokes gained putting this season on Tour and 2nd in total putting. In fact, if you look at most of the putting categories he’s pretty much top-10 in all of them. McCarthy has done well enough to get himself on this team and his putter will be an important club for the Americans in Montreal.

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Many professional golfers go their entire careers chasing a major victory and ultimately come up short. Others, like Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, have won have won more major titles than most golfers will win professional events in general in their careers. Below is a list of golfers who have won multiple major championships since the start of 2010.

PHIL MICKELSON - Mickelson is a six-time major champion and half of them have come since 2010. Mickelson kicked off 2010 with a victory at The Masters and has since added an Open Championship victory (2013) and a PGA Championship victory (2021).

MARTIN KAYMER - When it comes to casual golf fans, Kaymer might be the forgotten one on this list. The German golfer came out of a playoff victorious against Bubba Watson at the 2010 PGA Championship and then backed it up by lapping the field at Pinehurst No. 2 at the 2014 U.S. Open.

RORY MCILROY - McIlroy has brought home four major titles since 2010. He's won the PGA Championship twice (2012 & 2014), while adding a U.S. Open (2011) and a Claret Jug at the Open Championship (2014).

BUBBA WATSON - Watson has won two majors since 2010 and both have come at Augusta National Golf Club. He won in a playoff at the Masters in 2012 and claimed his second green jacket just two years later with a three shot victory over Jonas Blixt and Jordan Spieth.

JORDAN SPIETH - Spieth found loads of Major success between 2015 and 2017, finding the winners circle three times. He kicked off 2015 by winning the first two majors at the Masters and the U.S. Open and two years later he came out victorious at the Open Championship.

DUSTIN JOHNSON - Johnson is one of the most talented golfers of this era and has found major glory twice. Johnson rebounded from a devastating three putt at the 2015 U.S. Open to win the next year and then backed up his U.S. Open title four years later by claiming a Green Jacket at the Masters in 2020.

BROOKS KOEPKA - Koepka is one of the best major championship golfers in recent years having won five times. Since 2017 he has won five major titles. Two of his wins have come at the U.S. Open while the other three victories were PGA Championship wins.

JUSTIN THOMAS - Thomas has won two majors, both being at the PGA Championship. He was victorious in 2017 at Quail Hollow and five years later claimed his second Wanamaker Trophy in a playoff over Will Zalatoris at Southern Hills.

COLLIN MORIKAWA - Morikawa became a major champion in just his second major start at the 2020 PGA Championship. Less than a year later he would win his second major at the Open Championship.

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU - A month after Morikawa won his first major title, DeChambeau would win his first major with a victory at the U.S. Open. Four years later he would do it again at the U.S. Open with a victory at Pinehurst No. 2 in the 2024 U.S. Open.

JON RAHM - Rahm secured a thrilling victory at the 2021 U.S. Open by birding the final two holes to come out on top. Two years later he would claim a green jacket at the Masters.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER - Scheffler is a two time major champion and both have come at the Masters. The Texan was a winner at the 2022 Masters and backed it up two years later by winning his second green jacket.