MEDINAH, Ill. – Stewart Cink and Scott Verplank, veterans of a combined three U.S. Ryder Cup Teams, were selected today by U.S. Captain Tom Lehman to complete the 12-member U.S. Ryder Cup Team that will face Europe, Sept. 22-24, in the 36th Ryder Cup at The K Club in Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland.
Lehman announced his selections at a news conference at Medinah (Ill.) Country Club, a day after the 88th PGA Championship concluded at Medinah’s No. 3 Course.
Cink, a Ryder Cup Team member in 2002 and ’04, finished 12th in the final 2006 U.S. Ryder Cup Team Standings with 676.894 points. Cink was a Captain’s pick in 2004, and Verplank was selected as a Captain’s pick for the 2002 U.S. Team. Verplank finished 20th this year with 595.667 points.
The twosome will join 10 players who earned automatic berths through the nearly two-year point system compiled by The PGA of America. The 10 U.S. Team point leaders were: Tiger Woods (4,825.000), Phil Mickelson (2,474.375), Jim Furyk (2,076.000), Chad Campbell (1,129.602), David Toms (1072.250), Chris DiMarco (830.000), Vaughn Taylor (780.333), J.J. Henry (778.750), Zach Johnson (756.477) and Brett Wetterich (746.000).
"Stewart Cink has played well all summer, and rose to 12th in the standings through his steady play," said Lehman. "He hits the ball extremely straight, and is a good chipper and putter. Scott Verplank is a very, very tough competitor who drives it in the fairway and also is a really good putter and chipper.
"Our team is unbelievably motivated to win. I feel very confident with this team. It was my intention to build a team that would be a group of guys who are ready to play."
Prior to making his decision, Lehman said that he consulted all players who had earned automatic berths for their opinions.
"I believe that if you can involve all members of the team in decisions then you can have a more cohesive unit," said Lehman.
With the addition of Cink and Verplank, the 2006 U.S. Ryder Cup Team has eight players with Ryder Cup experience. Newly crowned PGA Champion Woods competed on the past four U.S. Teams (1997, ’99, 2002, ’04); Mickelson has been a member of the previous five teams (1995, ’97, ’99, 2002, ’04); while Furyk was a member of U.S. Teams in 1997, ’99, 2002 and ’04. Campbell and DiMarco each made his Ryder Cup debut in 2004, while Toms has competed on the 2002 and ’04 Teams.
Taylor, Henry, Johnson and Wetterich will all be making their Ryder Cup debuts.
The U.S. Ryder Cup Team will face a 12-member European Ryder Cup Team, which will be announced on Sept. 3, following the conclusion of the BMW International Open. European Ryder Cup Captain Ian Woosnam will announce his two "at-large" selections at that time.
The U.S. Ryder Cup point standings are compiled by The PGA of America and place added emphasis on a player’s current year’s performance.
Begun in 1927, The Ryder Cup is among the last great professional sporting events where winning, and not prize money, is its own reward. The United States, which owns a 24-9-2 advantage in the biennial competition, has not claimed possession of the Ryder Cup since 1999.
Celebrating its 90th anniversary, The PGA of America was founded in 1916, and is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the game of golf while continuing to enhance the standards of the profession. The Association is comprised of more than 28,000 men and women PGA Professionals who are dedicated to growing participation in the game of golf.
2006 U.S. Ryder Cup Team Individual Records
Name Appearances Record
Tiger Woods 4 7-11-2
Phil Mickelson 5 9-8-3
Jim Furyk 4 4-9-2
Chad Campbell 1 1-2-0
David Toms 2 4-3-1
Chris DiMarco 1 2-1-1
Stewart Cink * 2 2-4-1
Scott Verplank * 1 2-1-0
Vaughn Taylor Debut
J.J. Henry Debut
Zach Johnson Debut
Brett Wetterich Debut
* Captain’s selections
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