Couples has tough picks for final U.S. spots

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Hunter Mahan played on the Presidents Cup team in 2007.

CHASKA, Minn. -- Now that he knows the 10 players who have automatically qualified for his Presidents Cup team, U.S. Captain Fred Couples seems to be focused on three others as he mulls over what to do with his two picks.

At the start of the season's final major at Hazeltine there were seven players who had a mathematical shot at playing their way into the top 10. Reigning U.S. Open champ Lucas Glover came the closest, but in the end there was no change.

The 10 players who qualified are Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Kenny Perry, Zach Johnson, Stewart Cink, Jim Furyk, Sean O'Hair, Anthony Kim and Justin Leonard. All but O'Hair have experience in international team competition.

Y.E. Yang, who outdueled Tiger Woods to win the PGA Championship, shook up the International Team standings when he moved from 36th to eighth, knocking Rory Sabbatini down to 11th. The International Team's other nine qualifiers are Geoff Ogilvy, Vijay Singh, Camilo Villegas, Retief Goosen, Ernie Els, Angel Cabrera, Mike Weir, Robert Allenby and Tim Clark.

Glover could have knocked Leonard out had he finished in a two-way tie for third or better at Hazeltine. Instead he bogeyed the 72nd hole to finish fifth but still moved up two spots to 11th in the standings -- and surely impressed Couples in the process.

When he finished off his own round of 72 on Sunday, the U.S. captain indicated that Glover, Brian Gay and Hunter Mahan, who rank Nos. 11, 12 and 13, respectively, are his top candidates.

Should someone like David Toms or Nick Watney get hot before he makes his selections on Sept. 8, though, Couples might be persuaded otherwise. There are three events remaining -- the Wyndham Championship next week and the first two events in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, The Barclays and Deutsche Bank Championship.

Glover and Toms are both playing in Greensboro prior to the start of the Playoffs.

O'Hair

"They're all great players," Couples said. "... The great news is, there's three events left and if someone goes and finishes in the top five or six a couple of times, I don't know how with a week after you can leave them off the team."

Glover's in the midst of a career year. In addition to that U.S. Open breakthrough victory, he's also tied for second at the Quail Hollow Championship and third at the Buick Invitational -- three of the PGA TOUR's most difficult courses.

"Lucas is always a very good ball-striker," Couples said. "He's very calm. He's a guy, I don't know his exact age, but he could go on to win several big events. He could also probably shoot 20 under but his game is built for the tougher the better.

"I think he's very solid in any kind of conditions. But if you watch him, he hits the ball really well."

Earlier this week, Couples told reporters that Mahan would get a pick if he didn't make the team. The 27-year-old who played in the 2007 Presidents Cup and 2008 Ryder Cup has been steadily climbing the standings with four top-six finishes in his last five starts.

Mahan tied for 16th at the PGA Sunday, moving up 10 spots on the leaderboard with a 71 in the final round.

Gay has never played in a Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup but he has won twice this season. He strained his back two days prior to leaving for Turnberry to play in the British Open and has slipped out of the top 10 in the standings.

"Brian Gay is very deserving," Couples said. "He's right there. He's not out of it. ... I don't want him to feel like he's going to these big events worrying about making this team because we've all been there.

"If he just goes out and plays well he'll be fine. He's going to have to play really well. But just because he's not been on a team and he doesn't hit it 350 that's irrelevant. He's a very, very good player and he's won twice."