Ryder Cup

Mickelson earns Ryder Cup spot with US PGA placing

August 11, 2014

Phil Mickelson has never needed a captain's pick at the Ryder Cup © Getty Images

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Phil Mickelson played his way onto his 10th US Ryder Cup team by finishing second at the US PGA Championship on Sunday, moving to the fifth spot among the nine automatic qualifiers who were determined at the end of the tournament.

Mickelson, 44, has played on every US Ryder Cup team dating to 1995 and has never needed a captain's pick.

He also has played in every Presidents Cup dating to 1994, when he needed his only captain's pick over the past 20 years.

He bumped out defending US PGA champion Jason Dufner, who withdrew Thursday with a neck injury. Zach Johnson, who finished tied for 70th, held on to the final spot.

The players were determined by a points race that included only the major championships in 2013 and all PGA Tour events this year based on money earnings.

US captain Tom Watson will have three at-large selections to make September 2. The Ryder Cup begins September 26 at Gleneagles in Scotland, and the US has not won on foreign soil since 1993 - when Watson was last the captain. Since winning the competition in 1999, the only US victory came in 2008 at Valhalla.

The automatic qualifiers are Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk, Jimmy Walker, Mickelson, Matt Kuchar, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed and Johnson. Walker, Spieth and Reed will be Ryder Cup rookies.

The closest who did not qualify were Dufner, Ryan Moore, Brendon Todd and Keegan Bradley.

This article originally appeared on ESPN.com