Smylie Kaufman has explained why he could see the likes of Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed proving to be ideal partners for Chris Gotterup at the Presidents Cup following his victory at the John Deere Classic this past week.
Gotterup has surely secured his spot on Brandt Snedeker’s team at Medinah in September. The 26-year-old has now won for a third time on the PGA Tour this season.
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It was a stunning performance from Gotterup to secure victory at TPC Deere Run on Sunday, with the youngster posting a 62 in the final round to jump to the top of the leaderboard.
Chris Gotterup backed to make his Presidents Cup debut at Medinah after winning the John Deere Classic
It was clearly a mistake from Keegan Bradley to overlook Gotterup for the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage last September. He had won the Scottish Open and put himself in contention at The Open Championship.
The Bethpage setup also appeared to be absolutely crying out for a player like Gotterup.
Snedeker will surely not make the same error, even if Gotterup does not automatically qualify.
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And speaking on The Smylie Show, Smylie Kaufman suggested that Gotterup is exactly the kind of player that his teammates will be queueing up to play alongside.
Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
“I think any captain, any assistant captain, any veteran player, I think they want to see youth on these teams. They want to see a player who’s confident, a player who’s willing to go out and energise a group. Chris is a laidback dude. I think he will easily blend into the locker room. I think he’s not a high stress player, he’s going to be no problems when it comes to pairing him up with guys. He’s just easy going. That’s a captain’s dream,” he said.
“I think it’s also a player’s dream too. And Gotterup’s advantages, you could really start to get some fun combinations with what he does really well, and then pair him up with a guy like Jordan Spieth or a Patrick Reed, who’s got all the artistry in their game, or Jacob Bridgeman, like you said, a good putter.
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“He’s definitely going to be on the team at Medinah. And it gets me excited, I just want to see what the best version of what we could take to the Ryder Cup at Adare Manor. And I think this Presidents Cup, I want to see young American players given opportunities so that when we get to the selection process next year, we can’t just eliminate guys like, ‘he hasn’t made a team yet, he doesn’t know what it’s like’.
“You need to get these guys in these rooms, so they know and understand what it’s like behind those doors, so they’re not shocked and everything’s not too new. Nothing quite prepares you for a road Ryder Cup, but you need dudes who feel like they’ve been a part of the process.”
Where Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed stand in qualifying for the Presidents Cup
It is interesting that Kaufman has backed the likes of Spieth and Reed to make the Presidents Cup team later this year.
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You could certainly make a case for the pair to be involved. Reed, in particular, is someone who often finds another gear when he is representing his country. He has also won twice on the DP World Tour this year.
While Spieth is struggling – he is now 32nd in the qualification standings – he is no stranger to playing an away Ryder Cup. So if you wanted to roll the dice that he may work things out next season, it may be an idea to pick him for Medinah.
Bridgeman probably has work to do, despite his victory at the Genesis Invitational. He is 13th in the standings.
However, Kaufman is surely right that Snedeker would be wise to bring new faces into the team room given that Team USA should win the Presidents Cup relatively easily.
They can probably afford to sacrifice some points to give some new players some opportunities. And Bridgeman is potentially one of those names who would benefit from a show of faith.
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