Crew USA's ultimate Olympics spots? Livid races are brewing

Today, males’s skilled golf is beset with large questions on the way forward for the game. We’ll save these for one more day.

As a result of proper now it’s the little stuff that’s far more intriguing.

Take, as an illustration, the hunt to make this 12 months’s Presidents Cup group. On the U.S. aspect, the present standings would come with Sahith Theegala (No. 5) as an automated qualifier whereas would-be first timers Chris Kirk, Russell Henley, Eric Cole and J.T. Poston occupy spots 9-12. Crew regulars Sam Burns (No. 13), Justin Thomas (No. 14) and Jordan Spieth (No. 25) would require captain’s picks.

On the Worldwide aspect there are a handful of Canadians determined to play of their dwelling cup, with Nick Taylor (No. 5), Corey Conners (No. 9), Adam Hadwin (No. 11), Taylor Pendrith (No. 13), Mackenzie Hughes (No. 18) and Adam Svensson (No. 21) all within the dialogue for Mike Weir’s September alternatives. Pendrith’s latest win boosted his possibilities tremendously. Masters invitations, match exemptions, FedEx Cup factors, nationwide group qualification — these are the subplots of day-to-day life on Tour.

However whereas the Presidents Cup alternatives are nonetheless months away, we’ve arrived within the thick of the battle for Crew USA’s Olympic qualifying. On each the lads’s and ladies’s aspect there’s little query who will probably be within the group’s No. 1 spot — Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda have blown out their competitors — however the remainder of the roster is intriguing.

How does qualifying work? It’s comparatively easy. The sphere of 60 is stuffed by the highest gamers on the earth as decided by the Official World Golf Rating, with one exception: Every nation solely will get two gamers except it has greater than two inside the highest 15; then it will get as much as 4 gamers.

Which means, as with most Olympic sports activities, the competitors to qualify for one nation could also be stiffer than for one more. Enter Crew USA.

Crew USA — males’s aspect

2021 group: Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Reed (who changed Bryson DeChambeau as alternate)

The locks: Scottie Scheffler is No. 1 on the earth with 14.7 common factors. What does that imply? It means he’s making the group.

Coming off his PGA Championship victory, reigning gold medalist Xander Schauffele is No. 2 at 8.66 common factors. He, too, is basically a lock to make the group.

The virtually-lock: Wyndham Clark, the reigning U.S. Open champ, missed the minimize on the PGA Championship however nonetheless sits at No. 4 on the earth at 6.21 factors. He’s very prone to make the roster, too — except a number of guys from additional down the checklist make big-time strikes within the coming weeks.

The contenders: Patrick Cantlay hasn’t missed a minimize since final summer season and he’s logged a T3 and a T4 in Signature Occasions this 12 months. He’s presently in place to nab the ultimate spot at No. 8 with 4.60 common factors. That places him simply forward of Collin Morikawa, whose PGA Championship T4 boosted him from No. 13 to No. 9 with 4.28 factors. That catapulted him previous Max Homa (No. 10, 4.10) and Brian Harman (No. 11, 4.08) and Sahith Theegala (No. 12, 4.02).

The darkish horses: It’s believable that somebody may make an enormous leap with a win or two within the coming weeks together with the likes of Russell Henley (No. 16, 3.45), Cameron Younger (No. 17, 3.36) or Keegan Bradley (No. 20, 3.11). Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth sit beside one another at No. 24 and No. 25. However time is getting quick and simply 4 tournaments stay: this week’s Charles Schwab Problem, the RBC Canadian Open, the Memorial and the U.S. Open. It’s attending to be now-or-never time for these hoping to rep the crimson, white and blue in Paris.

Crew USA — girls’s aspect

What’s fascinating in regards to the dynamic on the U.S. girls’s group is that it’s much less about one American lady taking down one other and extra in regards to the fourth-ranked lady sneaking inside the highest 15.

2021 group: Nelly Korda, Danielle Kang, Lexi Thompson and Jessica Korda

The locks: Nelly Korda — who gained gold on the final Olympics — has 13.12 common factors, greater than double that of fellow American and World No. 2 Lilia Vu. They’ll be teammates in Paris.

The virtually-lock: It might take one thing dramatic to unseat Rose Zhang from her perch at No. 7, the place she sits with 4.81 factors. The now-two-time LPGA winner will add some star energy to the Olympic Village.

The contenders: That is the place it will get attention-grabbing. Megan Khang sits on the bubble spot proper now; she’s No. 15 with 3.75 factors, simply two-tenths forward of No. 16 Maja Stark of Sweden. Khang might want to keep inside that Fifteenth-place cutoff to make the squad. Different People will hope to problem her for that place together with Alison Lee (No. 18, 3.46) Allisen Corpuz (3.3, No. 21) and Angel Yin (No. 25, 3.01).

The LPGA is off this week earlier than subsequent week’s U.S. Ladies’s Open, which can have large ramifications on ultimate spots. The PGA Tour stays in nonstop movement, with a number of related names within the combine this weekend together with Bradley, Morikawa, Harman and Spieth. (Plus Scheffler, after all.) One contender headed dwelling early; Homa shot a stunning opening-round 78 and missed the minimize.

He’ll have extra possibilities, as will his competitors. Simply not very many extra.

Dylan Dethier

Golf.com Editor

Dylan Dethier is a senior author for GOLF Journal/GOLF.com. The Williamstown, Mass. native joined GOLF in 2017 after two years scuffling on the mini-tours. Dethier is a graduate of Williams School, the place he majored in English, and he’s the writer of 18 in America, which particulars the 12 months he spent as an 18-year-old residing from his automotive and enjoying a spherical of golf in each state.