ST. LOUIS – J.J. Spaun is trying to send a message to U.S. Presidents Cup captain Brandt Snedeker.
“I would definitely like to take a little stress off Sneds' plate by playing really well and earning my spot but we all know that we’re not entitled to anything, so, I just need to go out and take care of my business on the course,” he said. “I would love to just earn my way and not have to be on the chopping block for a pick.”
There’s a lot on the line this week at the BMW Championship, including FedEx Cup season-long bonuses, advancing to the Tour Championship next week for the top 30 as well as the top six in the U.S. Presidents Cup standings at the conclusion of the week automatically qualifying for the 12-man team.
Spaun, who entered the week
at No. 10 in the U.S. team point standings, has sent a message that is crystal clear with rounds of 64-66 at Bellerive Country Club to sit in third at the midway point of the BMW Championship. He’s locked up a berth in the Tour Championship and won earlier this year at the Valero Texas Open in April, but even with his surge up the leaderboard he’s only projected to move up to seventh and needs to make up another 80.790 points to vault into one of the automatic qualifier spots.
“They want guys that are peaking at the right time and I want to show them that I am playing well and I'm still in good form and can be an asset to the team in September,” he said.
Spaun isn’t the only one thinking about securing his position on the team. Wyndham Clark is the 36-hole leader at 12-under 128 and the U.S. Open champ is projected to surge from No. 7 and being the odd-man out at the start of the week all way to No. 3.
“I'm playing my hardest to try to get one of those last six spots,” Clark said. “I would prefer to be an automatic qualifier because I don't want to leave it up to chance. So, that's definitely on my mind a little bit.”
Chris Gotterup, a three-time winner this season, also is projected to go from the outside looking in – he entered the week at No. 8 in the standings – to being the last automatic qualifier thanks to shooting 9-under 131, which is good enough for a share of fourth place with Sungjae Im.
Gotterup has bumped Collin Morikawa, who entered the week on the hot seat at sixth but despite being T-8 so far, he’s projected to fall to eighth and trails by 106.434 points.
The other American bounced from the right side of the cutoff to having to sweat out hope for a captain’s pick is Ben Griffin, who was chosen for the U.S. Ryder Cup team last year said he’s in the same spot as a year ago just with more experience.
“I can put as much pressure on myself as I want to with that and think about all the things I’m playing for in a week or I can focus on trying to win the golf tournament I’m playing in in the present,” he said. “I try to do that as much as possible. Sure, are there Presidents Cup implications every round I play? Yeah, but it’s not going to be life or death for me if I don’t make that team. If I play well enough to reward myself with some of those opportunities, then it’s going to be amazing. And if not, it just means some other good players that are playing well and will play well for America.”
There’s still a lot that can change on the weekend. For Captain Snedeker, he’s facing a good problem in that so many of his players on his short list that bleed red, white and blood are finding form at the right time – from Patrick Cantlay (T-6) to Justin Thomas (T-12) and Michael Thorbjornsen (T-6), just to name a few. Six will secure their spot on Sunday and six more will have one more week potentially to make a lasting impression. Clark, who is seeking a third win of the season at the BMW, may have put it best: “As long as you make the team, it doesn't matter if you're No. 1 or 12.”
Presidents Cup standings bubble watch:
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Big names scramble for final U.S. Presidents Cup spots
