Presidents Cup standings update: Ancer creates history

Mexico has its first Presidents Cup representative, with Abraham Ancer securing a spot on the 2019 Presidents Cup International Team following his best career PGA Tour finish – a runner-up at The Northern Trust – that vaulted him from No.10 to No.5 on the International Team standings.

Ancer’s new point total is enough to guarantee him a spot in the top eight with one week left to qualify.

Following the conclusion of this week’s BMW Championship on Aug.18, the top-eight players on each team’s standings will officially qualify for the 2019 Presidents Cup, with four captain’s picks upcoming in early November.

The Presidents Cup will return to Melbourne, Australia and The Royal Melbourne Golf Club for the third time, December 9-15, 2019, when the International Team, led by Captain Ernie Els, will take on the US Team led by Captain Tiger Woods.

Ancer, the reigning Australian Open champion, also jumped to a career-high 39th in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) and represents the first male golfer from Mexico to move inside the top 50 since the OWGR’s inception in 1986.

“I didn't want to leave it to a decision. I wanted to lock it in,” Ancer said. “That was one of my main goals for this year. That is going to be an experience that I will never, never forget. To be the first Mexican that's going to play in the Presidents Cup; that's huge. I get goosebumps right now just talking about it.”

Elsewhere on the International Team standings, Haotong Li (No.6) and Cameron Smith (No.7) are the two players inside the top eight who are not scheduled to compete this week. C.T. Pan (No.8) is in the field at this week’s BMW Championship while Jason Day (No.9) fell out of the top eight and will need a strong week at the BMW Championship to qualify. Only nine OWGR points separate Li (No.6) and Day (No.9).

With an estimated 72 OWGR points up for grabs for the winner of the BMW Championship, Chile’s Joaquin Niemann (No.29) has a chance to join the top eight with a victory. Other players outside the top 15 on the International Team standings who are in the field at the BMW Championship include: Si Woo Kim (No.16), Corey Conners (No.17), Adam Hadwin (No.18), Emiliano Grillo (No.19) and Dylan Frittelli (No.24).

Other players outside the top eight with a chance to qualify are Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond (No.10) and South Africa’s Justin Harding (No.11). Janewattananond is playing in the Asian Tour’s Sarawak Championship in Malaysia, while Harding is teeing it up on the Korn Ferry Tour’s Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship. Each event will likely offer just enough points to allow for scenarios that would qualify either player with a victory.

RIGHT: Captain Woods cannot earn enough points to reach the top eight after this week's BMW Championship. PHOTO: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images.

Joining Ancer in Sunday’s final pairing at Liberty National was two-time Presidents Cup team member Patrick Reed, who went on to win The Northern Trust by one stroke for his seventh PGA Tour victory and first since the 2018 Masters.

Reed, who earned a 3-1-1 record in the 2017 Presidents Cup at Liberty National, jumped from No.17 to No.12 in the US Team standings and has a mathematical chance to grab one of the top-eight spots at this week’s BMW Championship.

Following a first-round four-over 75 at The Northern Trust, Captain Woods withdrew on Friday morning, citing a mild oblique strain. After beginning the week at No.12 in the US Team standings, Woods fell to No.13 and cannot earn enough points to reach the top eight at this week’s BMW Championship.

The top 10 in the US Team standings remain unchanged, with Patrick Cantlay occupying the No.8 spot heading into the BMW Championship with 5,268 points. Gary Woodland (No.9), Tony Finau (No.10), Rickie Fowler (No.11) and Reed (No.12) are the only players with a mathematical chance to reach the top eight.

All top 15 players in the US Team standings are in the field at the BMW Championship.

The top-15 players in the International and US Presidents Cup Team Standings as of Aug. 5, 2019 are listed below. Click here for the full Presidents Cup standings.

INTERNATIONAL

Rank Last Week Player Country Points
1. 1 Marc Leishman Australia 188.22

2. 2 Louis Oosthuizen South Africa 176.69

3. 4 Adam Scott Australia 169.86

4. 3 Hideki Matsuyama Japan 158.31

5. 10 Abraham Ancer Mexico 157.05

6. 5 Haotong Li China 128.63

7. 6 Cameron Smith Australia 124.17

8. 8 C.T. Pan Chinese Taipei 122.78

9. 7 Jason Day Australia 119.06

10. 9 Jazz Janewattananond Thailand 111.54

11. 11 Justin Harding South Africa 107.15