Sahith Theegala shot a 70 on Sunday at the 3M Open to finish four shots back of eventual winner, Jhonattan Vegas. It was a disappointing result for Theegala, who was looking for his first victory of 2024 but his second of the last 12 months (he won the 2023 Fortinet Championship last September).
However, his T6 finish belies an even bigger goal for Theegala, who is on the cusp of making his first United States team competition when the 2024 Presidents Cup heads to The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal on Sept. 24-29.
"It's been interesting for me because last year, I definitely let some thoughts get in about the Ryder Cup," Theegala confessed at the 3M over the weekend. "I was having a really good start to the year and the summer didn't go as planned. I maybe let it get to my head a little bit.
"This year I've just really tried to keep my head down and keep playing well. Every little experience I can get along the way is going to help me. It's going to be my first big team event. Well, hopefully. I've still got to play my way in. I just learned you can't take anything for granted. I learned the hard way with my first win, you just can't. You've just got to keep the head down.
"I know I'm looking pretty good to make the team, but I just want to keep my head down and just try and get my game as good as possible for that event. Yeah, to represent your country means the world. It's been cool to talk to some of the guys about the team atmosphere and all that, but the main thing is just to get my game as ready as possible."
Theegala is in fact "looking pretty good" to make the team, and if he does (OK, when he does), he's going to be electrifying.
U.S. players earn qualifying points based on FedEx Cup points accumulated between January 1, 2023 through August 24, 2024. The top six on the points list after the 2024 BMW Championship will be automatic qualifiers while captain Jim Furyk will select the other six participants.
Here's a look at the top 25 through the end of the 3M Open.
United States Team
| Rank | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scottie Scheffler | 13,184 |
| 2 | Xander Schauffele | 8,717 |
| 3 | Collin Morikawa | 5,893 |
| 4 | Wyndham Clark | 5,219 |
| 5 | Sahith Theegala | 4,522 |
| 6 | Patrick Cantlay | 4,481 |
| 7 | Tony Finau | 3,863 |
| 8 | Russell Henley | 3,835 |
| 9 | Max Homa | 3,808 |
| 10 | Brian Harman | 3,743 |
| 11 | Akshay Bhatia | 3,384 |
| 12 | Chris Kirk | 3,337 |
| 13 | Sam Burns | 3,301 |
| 14 | Justin Thomas | 2,982 |
| 15 | Eric Cole | 2,966 |
| 16 | Tom Hoge | 2,889 |
| 17 | Keegan Bradley | 2,884 |
| 18 | J.T. Poston | 2,882 |
| 19 | Cameron Young | 2,851 |
| 20 | Denny McCarthy | 2,749 |
| 21 | Davis Thompson | 2,674 |
| 22 | Billy Horschel | 2,657 |
| 23 | Taylor Moore | 2,538 |
| 24 | Harris English | 2,438 |
| 25 | Jordan Spieth | 2,421 |
Theegala is, perhaps surprisingly to some, in the top six right now and a near lock to be on the team even if he finishes outside of the automatic qualifiers. He has nine top 12 finishes this year, including the Players Championship and PGA Championship and has reached No. 11 in the Official World Golf Rankings, just behind Jon Rahm and just ahead of Hideki Matsuyama.
Other notables on the U.S. side include 22-year-old, Akshay Bhatia and Chris Kirk, who is in the top 12 even though he has just one top 10 since winning The Sentry back in January.
What Furyk does with Sam Burns (13th), Justin Thomas (14th) and Jordan Spieth (25th) -- all of whom were on last year's Ryder Cup team -- will of course be the topic of much interest and conversation. Not to mention Cameron Young (19th), who was left off the team. Those four have three more events -- the Wyndham Championship and the first two playoff events -- to move up in the rankings.
On the International side, OWGR points are used, and Hideki Matsuyama currently leads the way. Similarly, the International team will determine its top six by OWGR points earned through the BMW Championship. After that, captain Mike Weir will select six captain's picks.
Here are the top 25 on the International Team right now.
International Team
| Rank | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hideki Matsuyama | 3.86 |
| 2 | Sungjae Im | 3.37 |
| 3 | Tom Kim | 3.34 |
| 4 | Jason Day | 2.97 |
| 5 | Ben An | 2.84 |
| 6 | Adam Scott | 2.78 |
| 7 | Min Woo Lee | 2.64 |
| 8 | Corey Conners | 2.57 |
| 9 | Cam Davis | 2.44 |
| 10 | Nick Taylor | 2.40 |
| 11 | Adam Hadwin | 2.30 |
| 12 | Christiaan Bezuidenhout | 2.28 |
| 13 | Taylor Pendrith | 2.25 |
| 14 | Si Woo Kim | 2.20 |
| 15 | Mackenzie Hughes | 1.93 |
| 16 | Ryan Fox | 1.90 |
| 17 | Emiliano Grillo | 1.90 |
| 18 | Erik van Rooyen | 1.82 |
| 19 | Thriston Lawrence | 1.66 |
| 20 | Jhonattan Vegas | 1.41 |
| 21 | Keita Nakajima | 1.30 |
| 22 | C.T. Pan | 1.22 |
| 23 | Ryo Hisatsune | 1.21 |
| 24 | Adam Svensson | 1.21 |
| 25 | Rikuya Hoshino | 1.10 |
The most interesting thing here is how many Canadians are around the No. 12 spot. With a Canadian captain and the event held in Canada for the first time since 2007, there will be some pressure for Corey Conners (No. 8), Nick Taylor (No. 10), Adam Hadwin (No. 11), Taylor Pendrith (No. 11) and Mackenzie Hughes (No. 15) to be on the team. Weir will have some difficult (and intriguing) decisions to make.
Regardless, this should be a good Presidents Cup. The U.S. is a bit (maybe a lot) thinner at the bottom of its team than it has been in the past. Some of that is due to LIV Golf -- LIV golfers are not eligible to be on either team -- which has affected the International Team as well. Some of it, though, is due to players like Thomas, Spieth, Max Homa and Wyndham Clark not playing the quality of golf we have come to expect from the U.S. team. Both captain's decisions over the next month will carry plenty of weight as well as the potential for controversy.
The U.S. has not lost the Presidents Cup since 1998 at Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
