U.S. Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III selected Rickie Fowler, J.B. Holmes and Matt Kuchar for three of his four picks to face Europe at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn.
Love announced the picks Monday, and a final pick will be made after the Tour Championship on Sept. 25 to finalize the 12-man U.S. team for the Sept. 30-Oct. 2 showdown.
The U.S. has lost eight of the last 10 Ryder Cups and three in a row to the Europeans.
The captain's picks will join Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Jimmy Walker, rookie Brooks Koepka, Brandt Snedeker and Zach Johnson, all who qualified in the final standings for the Americans.
Love, who also was the U.S. captain in a losing effort in 2012, said he consulted with vice captains Steve Stricker, Tom Lehman, Jim Furyk and Tiger Woods.
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"There were questions as late as last night," Love said Monday morning. "We went through a lot of scenarios. We talked about a lot of great players. It was a very, very tough decision. We kept coming back to three for now.
"These three guys were really who we all wanted. We're really confident in them. ... This is a tough decision; there were many great choices. I know this is the 11 we want today. We have another tough decision coming up in two weeks."
Bubba Watson, ranked No. 7 in the world, is the odd man out for man but could be a final pick after the Tour Championship.
Love will make his fourth captain's pick during halftime of a Sunday night game between the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 25.
Holmes, No. 21 in the world, and Kuchar (No. 17) finished in a tie for fourth in the BMW Championship in Carmel, Ind., on Sunday. Fowler, ninth in the world, was 59th in the BMW and knocked out of the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings.
Holmes, 34, was two spots away from qualifying for the team automatically. His only otherRyder Cup appearance was in 2008, the last time the U.S won.
Fowler, 27, received a pick despite just one top 10 finish in his last seven events. He was a member of the 2010 and 2014 teams.
"He's so excited to be on the team again," Love said of Fowler. "We found no weaknesses in his game. He's such a great teammate. He's really confident on the big stage. ... He plays well all over the world; he travels well. He brings a lot of intangibles to our team."
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Kuchar, 38, was an Olympic bronze medalist at the Rio Games. He will play in his fourth straightRyder Cup.
European captain Darren Clarke finalized his team Aug. 30 with wild-card picks Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Thomas Pieters. The three joined the nine who qualified for the team on points: Rory McIlroy, Danny Willett, Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia, Andy Sullivan, Chris Wood, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Rafa Cabrera Bello.
