Stenson, Garcia do little for Ryder Cup hopes
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[August 20, 2018]
By Andrew Both
GREENSBORO, North Carolina (Reuters) -
Major champions Henrik Stenson and Sergio Garcia missed out on a
chance to stake their claim for Europe's Ryder Cup team with
underwhelming performances at the Wyndham Championship.
With a tie for 20th at Sedgefield, Swede Stenson made no inroads
towards automatic selection for the Sept. 28-30 event in Paris
despite a closing 64 that left him eight strokes behind winner
Brandt Snedeker.
Spaniard Garcia finished another shot behind, in equal 24th, and
will head home rather than to New Jersey after missing the PGA
Tour's FedExCup playoffs for the first time.
Stenson, the 2017 Wyndham champion, observed some positive signs in
his game and was pleased to see a few putts drop on Sunday.
"It's not really been exactly the week we wanted but I had a good
spell on Friday, hit some really good iron shots," he told Reuters.

"I've been struggling on the greens for a few weeks so it was nice
to roll a few in.
"At least a little part of what we left out there the first three
days, we got that back in the final round."
The top eight in the European standings in two weeks will
automatically qualify for the Ryder Cup team to take on the United
States. Captain Thomas Bjorn will pick four others.
Barring a victory at next week's Northern Trust tournament in New
Jersey, four-times Ryder Cup player Stenson will probably be reliant
on Bjorn.
"I've been trying to focus on my game and there are some things that
are good and some things that needed a bit more work. We'll try to
sort that out in weeks to come," he said.
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Henrik Stenson studies a putt on the second green during the second
round of the Wyndham Championship golf tournament at Sedgefield
Country Club. Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

"Obviously we're a little bit out of direct qualification. He
(Bjorn) has got my number and I guess I'll just have to wait next to
the telephone."
Garcia was only four shots from the lead starting the final round
but did not help his cause with a closing 70.
A stronger finish would have lifted him into the Northern Trust, the
first event of the tour's playoff series, which starts Thursday.
Garcia started the Wyndham ranked 131st in the season-long points
list for the playoffs and ended it 128th, outside the top 125 who
qualify.
Like Stenson, eight-times Ryder Cup player Garcia seems destined to
have to rely on a captain's pick to join team Europe in Paris.
(Reporting by Andrew Both; editing by Clare Fallon / Ian Ransom)
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