For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as all roads now lead to Rome with the upcoming Ryder Cup.

1. How Hovland took the next step

Evin Priest for Golf Digest…”The biggest par save of the week, though, was at No. 14 when playing partner Schauffele was within three shots. An improved short game briefly deserted Hovland as he left his pitch shot 23 feet short but made the putt. “That putt was huge; two shots with four [holes] to go is a different [mindset] than three shot,” he said.”

• “Rory McIlroy says that’s where Hovland has blossomed as an elite player. “He’s one of the best drivers of the golf ball in the world and a hell of a player,” said McIlroy, who finished fourth despite problems with his back all week. “I think as we all know he’s improved around the greens this year. That’s been the difference from being a top-10 player in the world to what he’s done this year.”

• “Hovland’s Ryder Cup teammate, Matt Fitzpatrick, agreed, saying, “He is just so straight and so accurate; tee to green he is phenomenal.”

• “Tommy Fleetwood, who finished T-6, reminded reporters that despite being on tour for four years, Hovland was still only in his mid-20s. The best, Fleetwood said, was likely yet to come.”

2. Awaiting the call

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”Whatever value U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson put on individual performances at the Tour Championship – and given Sunday’s finish at East Lake there was plenty for Captain America to digest – there’s only one step remaining: the phone call.”

• “Every captain will count this point in the process as the most difficult. After two years of qualifying and analysis, Johnson will huddle with his vice captains and the six automatic qualifiers to round out the U.S. team that will travel to Rome next month. Anyone with even a remote chance of being one of those six picks will spend the next 24 hours staring at their phones and mulling their fate. For a professional golfer, the lack of control is a triggering experience.”

• “The phone call that awaits players, either to invite them to join the fun in Rome or condolences for coming up short, produces emotions that are unique to a game that attempts to detach process from outcome. And regardless of the message, every call is memorable.”

3. JT will get the nod

Ewan Murray for the Guardian…”Zach Johnson is poised to ignore the poor form of Justin Thomas and select the two-time major winner for the US Ryder Cup team.”

• “Johnson names his six wildcards on Tuesday, with much focus on whether Thomas, whose missed cuts at the US Open and the Open Championship featured rounds of more than 80, will get the nod.”

• “Thomas admitted during the Open at Royal Liverpool that he was at a loss to explain his performance. He subsequently missed out on the PGA Tour’s end?of?season playoffs. But Johnson is likely to bank on Thomas’s experience and influence by handing the 30-year-old a huge vote of confidence just weeks from the meeting with Europe just outside Rome. Thomas took two and a half points from four matches as the US routed Europe at Whistling Straits in 2021.”

4. Solheim Cup roster reveal

AFP report…”US captain Stacy Lewis unveiled the complete American roster for next month’s Solheim Cup on Monday by adding Angel Yin, Cheyenne Knight and Ally Ewing to complete the 12-woman lineup.”

• “World number one Lilia Vu, second-ranked Nelly Korda, eighth-ranked Allisen Corpuz and Megan Khang, who won her first LPGA title Sunday at Vancouver, were among nine automatic qualifiers confirmed Monday morning for the US lineup in the biennial match-play golf showdown against Europe.”

• “Just hours later, Lewis rounded out the squad with her captain’s picks…”These final days were definitely some of the hardest ones of my career, but I’m so proud to have Ally, Cheyenne and Angel on the US Solheim Cup team,” Lewis said.”

5. Chacarra wins on Asian Tour in 10-hole playoff

Gabrielle Herzig for SI…”Eugenio Chacarra captured his first non-LIV professional victory on Sunday at the Asian Tour’s inaugural St Andrews Bay Championship in dramatic fashion.”

• “Chacarra, 23, defeated Australia’s Matt Jones, another LIV golfer, in a 10 hole playoff—the longest playoff in the Tour’s history.”

• “The suspenseful finish topped the 2001 SK Telecom Open in Korea, which saw a seven-hole playoff. The longest playoff on the PGA Tour was 11 holes at the 1949 Motor City Open.”

• “Chacarra and Jones both finished at 19 under par in regulation after shooting 67 and 69 on Sunday, respectively. Jones’s fate was almost sealed on the third extra hole, but he holed a chip shot for birdie from 25 feet to extend the sudden-death playoff.”

• “It took two hours and 8 minutes before a champion was crowned.”

6. Reed’s liberal use of the hashtag

7. Payday

Patrick McDonald for CBS Sports…”Every player who finished inside the top 150 of the FedEx Cup standings will receive some portion of this bonus, but nearly $60 million of it was still up for grabs in Atlanta. A player’s career earnings will not technically grow because of his performance in the postseason final, but that doesn’t mean the money is not astronomical.”

• “For the second straight year, $18 million was be awarded to the FedEx Cup winner — Viktor Hovland — with every player inside the top 10 cashing seven figures. All 30 players enjoyed the luxury of claiming at least $500,000, even if their play resulted in a last-place finish.”

• “Scottie Scheffler was the only man to surpass $18 million in earnings this season, and he was on the cusp of a $40 million year if he won his first FedEx Cup crown. Alas, that did not happen. Hovland, Jon Rahm, Rory Mcilroy, Wyndham Clark, Max Homa and Patrick Cantlay all entered East Lake with at least $10 million already under their belts.”

8. RIP

Todd Kelly for Golfweek…”John Davis, a 2019 inductee into the Arizona Golf Hall of Fame and sports journalist for nearly 36 years, died early Monday after a long battle with cancer.”

• “Davis, 73, was a fixture on the Arizona golf scene for more than 20 years and witnessed firsthand the rise of the Phoenix Open. Phil Mickelson, a native of San Diego but a hero for Arizona State, became the face of the event, spearheading its massive growth into one of the world’s most highly attended sporting events.”

• “And Davis was right there along for the ride. Over time, writer and golfer forged a friendship. A typical routine after a tournament round consisted of Mickelson signing autographs for 20 or 30 minutes, putting pen to paper for anyone and everyone who wanted one at TPC Scottsdale. It wasn’t an uncommon sight to see him and Davis later engaged in small talk, sharing a smile or two, catching up like two longtime friends.”