Koepka new No. 1 in U.S. Ryder Cup team points after major shakeup

[June 19, 2018]  A day after the completion of a wild 2018 U.S. Open, the U.S. Ryder Cup points standing underwent an equally wild shakeup on Monday, with a new occupant in every spot in the top five.

At the top of that shakeup is new leader Brooks Koepka, who finished 1-over par at Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, N.Y., to win his second consecutive U.S. Open. He earned 4,320 Ryder Cup points with the win (nearly doubling his season total) to jump four spots to No. 1.

Koepka also vaulted five spots to No. 4 in the world golf rankings.

Patrick Reed, who had a solid fourth-place showing at Shinnecock, fell from the top spot to No. 3 in the Ryder Cup team points. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson, who finished one shot better than Reed in third place, moved up from third to second in the standings.

Justin Thomas (who fell from No. 2 to No. 4 after tying for 25th) and Jordan Spieth (No. 4 to No. 5 after missing the cut) round out the top five. Rickie Fowler (tied for 20th) and Bubba Watson (also missed cut) remain in sixth and seventh, respectively, while Webb Simpson's top-10 showing at Shinnecock moved him into the eighth -- and final guaranteed -- position in the standings.

The previous holder of the No. 8 spot, Phil Mickelson, fell to No. 10 after a U.S. Open that included a penalty for striking his putt while it was still moving in the third round. The display drew plenty of attention, as well as numerous calls for him to withdraw from the tournament. He rebounded with a 1-under 69 on Sunday to finish tied for 48th at 16-over 296.

Bryson DeChambeau remained at No. 9 after tying for 25th at the Open.

Zach Johnson made the highest jump of any player in the top 25, climbing from 26th to 21st after tying for 12th with an 8-over 288.

The top eight spots will be determined based on points following the 100th PGA Championship scheduled to conclude Aug. 12. Three additional spots will be named by captain Jim Furyk following the Dell Technologies Championship scheduled to finish on Sept. 3, with the final spot scheduled to be announced after the BMW Championship slated to be completed on Sept. 9.

The four majors in 2018 are weighted heavily in the U.S. Ryder Cup team points race, with winners receiving two points per $1,000 earned at the Masters, U.S. Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship, and all other players receiving 1.5 points per $1,000 earned. That's compared to one point per every $1,000 earned in regular PGA Tour events in 2018 leading up to the Aug. 12 cutoff.

The 42nd Ryder Cup will be held at Le Golf National in Paris this September. Future venues include Whistling Straits in Haven, Wis., in 2020; the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome in '22; and Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y., in '24.

Europe has yet to announce the home courses for the 2026 and '30 Ryder Cups. After returning to Hazeltine (Chaska, Minn.) in '28, the next U.S. course will be The Olympic Club in San Francisco in 2032.

--Field Level Media

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