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Kevin Kisner‘s first win in two years threw another curveball at United States Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker.

The effect of that curveball remains a topic of debate.



Kisner prevailed in a six-man playoff to win the Wyndham Championship on Sunday. His first victory since the WGC-Match Play in 2019 also vaulted Kisner 18 spots to No. 34 in the Official World Golf ranking and five places to No. 18 in the United States Ryder Cup rankings.

The top six automatic spots will be secured following the BMW Championship in the second leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Stricker will then make his six captain’s picks following the Tour Championship.

Kevin Kisner Back In Debate

Kisner was not part of that conversation just two months ago when he fell outside of the world Top 50 while missing six cuts over seven events. However, Kisner has made the weekend in each of his past six starts, a stretch that also includes a T5 at the Travelers Championship and a T8 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

At No. 29 in the FedEx Cup standings, Kisner potentially has three more opportunities to impress Stricker if he can qualify for the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake later this month.

Kisner anticipated the Ryder Cup debate when he met with the media after Sunday’s win.

“Here we go,” Kisner said. “I said, ‘How many Ryder Cup questions are we going to have?'”

The math likely still works against Kisner, who is trying to earn a spot on his first Ryder Cup team.

Crowded Mix For Captain’s Picks

The top six spots are currently occupied by Collin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele.

Jordan Spieth has been one of the most consistent players in the world this year and is expected to earn a captain’s spot along with Harris English, a two-time winner this season, and Ryder Cup veteran Patrick Reed.

That leaves only three more spots on Stricker’s team.

Patrick Cantlay is 11th in the U.S. Ryder Cup rankings and ninth in the world. Daniel Berger has a win among eight top-10s in 2021 — including a T5 at the WGC-St. Jude Invitational in his most recent start.

Tony Finau and Webb Simpson are Nos. 12 & 13 in the standings and have previous Ryder Cup experience. No. 15 Jason Kokrak is also a multiple-time winner this season and there’s always Phil Mickelson, the PGA Championship winner who dropped a spot to No. 19 right behind Kisner this week.

There are also rising youngsters seeking their first Ryder Cup experiences, including Scottie Scheffler, Sam Burns and Will Zalatoris, who failed to qualify for the playoffs as a Special Temporary Member who needed a victory to get in.

Kisner has three top-10s in his past five events, but likely needs a strong showing throughout the playoffs to earn a spot on the U.S. team that will take on Team Europe next month. Kisner is not one of the PGA Tour’s longest hitters and his game wouldn’t typically suit a course like Whistling Straits.

Club twirl
Walking after it@K_Kisner was feeling it and rightly so. ?? pic.twitter.com/Qzr2TI1vFZ

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 15, 2021

“I’ve never been picked before, so I’m not going to go out there and jump on a limb and say that I’m going to get picked this year,” Kisner said. “I love Stricker. He’s a great friend and a great guy. He’ll do what’s best for the team and the country.

“I would love more than anything to represent our country and be a part of that team. I need to play well in these playoffs and continue to show great form.”

–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)