Several big names have some work to do in order to qualify for the Presidents Cup

The Presidents Cup isn’t for another four more months at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia, but qualifying for the biennial event is coming to a close over the next two weeks.

The top eight in the Presidents Cup points standings automatically qualify for the tournament, while four more players will be added as captain’s picks to round out the 12-man roster.

If qualifying were to conclude today, here are the eight players who would be representing the U.S. in the event:

1. Brooks Koepka: 8,179 points
2. Dustin Johnson: 6,555
3. Justin Thomas: 5,726
4. Xander Schauffele: 5,656
5. Matt Kuchar: 5,506
6. Webb Simpson: 5,349
7. Bryson DeChambeau: 5,246
8. Patrick Cantlay: 5,146

The U.S. will roll out a strong squad in December, but a lot of big names are missing from the current roster. With two events remaining to qualify, here are several high-profile golfers who have some work left to do.

Tiger Woods
First and foremost is the captain himself, Tiger Woods. The 2019 Masters champion is currently 12th in the Presidents Cup standings with 3,868 points. He could easily select himself as a captain’s pick, a move that the golf world is certainly pulling for. But if Woods wants to be safe rather than sorry, the 15-time major champion is playing in both the Northern Trust and BMW Championship this month. With weather expected to be hot in both Jersey City and Medinah, the conditions are ripe for the 43-year-old to play well. Not to mention, Australia is pretty warm in December.

Phil Mickelson
Maybe the most intriguing storyline outside of whether Woods will select himself is whether or not Phil Mickelson will be joining the team. Mickelson has appeared on every Presidents Cup team since the event’s inception in 1994, a record-high 12 selections. Lefty also has the most total points, foursome points, and four-ball points in the event’s history. However, he’s 14th in the standings with 3,548 points and has struggled this year on Tour. It’s hard to say if Mickelson gives the U.S. the best chance to win, but is Tiger prepared to end Phil’s run? We’ll see.

Gary Woodland
Despite winning the U.S. Open this year for his first major title, Gary Woodland might not be representing his home country in the Presidents Cup. He’s currently ninth in the standings with 4,898 points, but he is in great position to make a move up the board over the next two weeks. There’s a chance the U.S. team could be without Woodland, but it’s hard to imagine Woods not selecting the defending national champion as a captain’s pick.

Rickie Fowler
Rickie Fowler is currently ranked 11th in the Presidents Cup standings with 4,547 points, so he’s going to need to make up some ground over the next two weeks in order to vault into the top eight and secure himself a spot in Australia. The 30-year-old Fowler won the Waste Management Phoenix Open this past February, and he earned a pair of top-10 finishes at the Masters and Open Championship this year.

Tony Finau
Sitting in 10th with 4,820 points is Tony Finau, who has yet to win on the PGA Tour since the 2016 Puerto Rico Open. The 29-year-old has had a very strong season on Tour, having racked up seven top-10 finishes this year. That includes a trio of second-place finishes, as well as a third at the Open Championship and T5 at the Masters. Woods could be in a position to reward his final round playing partner at Augusta this year for his strong play.

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