CARMEL, Ind. -- The idea was sound and made plenty of sense: wait a few weeks to make the captain's picks to see if players who did not qualify for the U.S. Ryder Cup team might get on a roll, turn some heads.
With three of Davis Love III's four at-large picks looming on Monday morning, it is difficult to imagine the U.S. captain having much clarity at this point.
Unless Love has made up his mind on one or more of the picks, regardless of how they played this week at the BMW Championship, those who are in contention for the picks are not making things any easier at Crooked Stick.
With the help of vice captains Tom Lehman, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk (who is also in the running for a pick) and Tiger Woods, Love is sorting through all the relevant information at this point.
"There are some things we are looking for, things that Tiger and Tom Lehman have said, look, let's take a look at this, see who is doing this in this group of players,'' Love said the day after the eight automatic qualifiers became official at the Barclays.
"I keep saying the statisticians are going to help us with this, but those eight players on our team and the four assistant captains, they are pretty good golfers. They know what's going on. They know the players. They know who they want to play with.
"But if we're looking for one particular reason to choose between two guys, then we're going to dive into the stats a little bit more. Are we looking for a great wedge player to match up with this guy? Are we looking for a great driver to match up with another guy?
"Our alternate-shot is a big part of how we pair, how we pick. So it's going to be looking at Hazeltine, how it suits certain players. I think there's going to be two obvious picks and there's going to be two we're going to have to waffle about a little bit, and the stats will help us narrow that down.''
The eight American automatic qualifiers are Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Jimmy Walker, Brooks Koepka, Brandt Snedeker and Zach Johnson.
Koepka is the only rookie, so that could give Love some options as far as picking someone new. Love will make his final pick on Sept. 25 after the Tour Championship ends. As the final round unfolds on Sunday, here is a list of potential candidates, how they are faring and what their prospects might be. Keep in mind that a few of these guys might already be part of Love's plans regardless of how they are faring.
Bubba Watson, 9th in final points, T-17 at Crooked Stick after 54 holes
Positives: He is ranked seventh in the world, finished ninth in the points, won at Riviera earlier this year, finished second at Doral and is a long hitter.
Negatives: Has not contended since the WGC event at Doral in March. Has a poor Ryder Cup record that includes going 0-3 in singles. His only top-10 in his past 10 events was a tie for eighth at the Olympics.
J.B. Holmes, 10th in final points, 3rd at Crooked Stick after 54 holes
Positives: Long hitter who has top-5s in two major championships this year and was a solid performer in his previous Ryder Cup experience, a U.S. win in 2008.
Negatives: In his past five events, he has three missed cuts and hasn't cracked the top 30. He's trying to make a last-minute impression here.
Rickie Fowler, 11th in final points, T-59 at Crooked Stick after 54 holes
Positives: Ranked ninth in the world, teamed well with Jimmy Walker at 2014 Ryder Cup, contended at Barclays.
Negatives: Seems like a long time ago that he won in Abu Dhabi; has had two 54-hole leads since. And that Ryder Cup record of 0-3-5 is bizarre.
Matt Kuchar, 12th in final points, T-5 at Crooked Stick after 54 holes
Positives: Going back to the Players Championship, has seven top-10 finishes, a consistent performer who has played in three previous Ryder Cups. His 63 to win a bronze at the Olympics was a big moment.
Negatives: Hasn't won this year and is 4-6-2 overall in the Ryder Cup. He went 1-3 at Gleneagles in 2014, although he did win his singles match.
Jim Furyk, 15th in final points, did not qualify for Crooked Stick
Positives: A respected and solid player who has earned the second-most Ryder Cup points since June, finished second at the U.S. Open and shot 58 at the Travelers Championship. Still finished 15th in points despite playing only 14 tournaments this year due to injury at the start of the season.
Negatives: His 10-20-4 Ryder Cup record means he has lost the most matches in U.S. history, considered part of the old guard that has not fared well and didn't make the third leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Daniel Berger, 16th in final points, T-12 at Crooked Stick after 54 holes
Positives: Won in Memphis in June, viewed as a young up-and-coming player who could be a future Ryder Cup player. Finished 16th due to missing a good bit of time due to injury.
Negatives: Finished fifth at the Travelers Championship, where he held the third-round lead, is ranked 40th in the world with several others in contention ahead of him.
Ryan Moore, 20th in points, T-62 at Crooked Stick after 54 holes
Positives: Won the John Deere Classic, has two top-5s in the playoffs, would seemingly be the hot player Love is looking for.
Negatives: A veteran player, Moore could manage only 20th in points and has never played in the Ryder Cup.
Kevin Na, 22nd in points, T-12 at Crooked Stick after 54 holes
Positives: Despite winning just once on the PGA Tour in his career, viewed as a gritty grinder who might get under the skin of the Europeans with his various quirks and slow-play tendencies. Good iron player and short game, too, plus he had three top-10s in his past seven starts.
Negatives: Had a strong start to the season in the fall when the points did not count, then went into a lull before showing some life of late, but unable to crack the top 20 in points. Has never played in the Ryder Cup.
Justin Thomas, 25th in points, T-48 at Crooked Stick after 54 holes
Positives: Another young, up-and-coming player who might give the U.S. a spark. As a buddy of Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler, that friendship has helped him. Won in Malaysia last fall, also when the points didn't count.
Negatives: Since winning in Malaysia, has just four top-10s in 24 starts and has not really contended. Does his promising future deserve a pick?
So now what? If Love truly had his mind made up on a couple of picks, expect those to be among Fowler, Kuchar and Furyk. Fowler was a member of the Ryder Cup Task Force that helped pick Love in the first place and has made an effort by playing more to get on the team. Furyk is widely respected among U.S players and will be there as a vice captain, too. Kuchar is a veteran who is well-liked and has played well.
But should that stuff really matter? Don't results count for something?
Love would be well served to take perhaps one of those three players, then look to others who have showed at least some form of late, perhaps Moore or Holmes. And then look outside the box to someone like Berger or Thomas. Experience, especially in the case of the U.S., has proven to be overrated. Look at Patrick Reed, who as a rookie in 2014 proved to be the best performer.
One thing is certain: nobody in the running has made such a compelling case that they should be considered an absolute lock.