Davis Love III looks for experience for U.S. Ryder Cup team

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Experience wanted.

Other than perhaps “Seeking hot putter,” those are the words that would be in bold if U.S. Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III were to post a help-wanted entry for his remaining four roster spots.

“It’s great to have the youth,” Love said Monday, pleased with his eight automatic qualifiers from a points race that concluded at the PGA Championship. “Now we need some experience to go with it.”

Currently, the roster Love is building for next month’s matches at Medinah Country Club in Illinois includes only two men who have played in more than two Ryder Cups: Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

He also has three rookies: U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson, Keegan Bradley and Jason Dufner. Masters champion Bubba Watson and Matt Kuchar made their debuts two years ago in Wales; Zach Johnson has played the last two.

Three weeks remain before Love must announce his wild-card selections Sept. 4.

“We’re going to need some guys with experience. That’s obvious,” Love said. “We’re going to try to watch [possible selections] play, but we’ve got to have some experience. You’re not going to pick four guys that have never played Ryder Cup before.”

Two names at the top of the list: Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk. Read between the lines, and one gets a sense that they have to play their way out of being picked.

Stricker nearly made the team on merit Sunday, coming up two strokes shy of finishing high enough at the PGA to displace Mickelson for the final automatic spot.

Another factor in Stricker’s favor: He was Woods’ partner in every paired match two years ago in Wales, and for much of the last two Presidents Cups. “I would think we’re going to have to look hard at that,” Love said.

Furyk also has had success as Woods’ partner — and with plenty of others over the years.

“A guy you could pair with anybody,” Love said. “He’s one of those guys that you just tell him what you want to do and he’ll go do it. We love that about him.”

It’s been something of a bittersweet season for Furyk, who has rebounded from a poor 2011 to post eight top-12 finishes. None of them, though, have resulted in victory.

After leading the U.S. Open for most of the final round, two bogeys in his final three holes at the Olympic Club in San Francisco handed the trophy to Simpson. More frustration came two weeks ago, when a double bogey on the final hole of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational left Bradley the winner.

“We are going to lean on him the next few weeks for advice,” Love said, “and to try and relax him and tell him just to go play.”

Love also singled out Hunter Mahan, Rickie Fowler, Brandt Snedeker, Dustin Johnson and Bo Van Pelt for attention.

“I think it’s going to end up coming down to just a gut decision,” Love said. “We’ll know how they are playing by their scores and what they tell us.”

Nor would Love rule out someone playing his way onto the radar in the next three events, which include the front half of the FedEx Cup series.

“Nobody’s out of it,” he said. “If you get hot in the next three weeks, we’re going to want you on the team.”

Love did fill the final vacancies on his staff, selecting Scott Verplank and Jeff Sluman as assistant captains. They’ll join Fred Couples and Mike Hulbert in serving as extra eyes and ears around Medinah.

jshain@orlandosentinel.com