Cup auditions are complete, now it's up to Love

• By Ryan Lavner
• Sep 3, 2012 8:48 PM ET

NORTON, Mass. – All that’s left is the announcement.

The Deutsche Bank Championship, won by Rory McIlroy on Monday, represented the last event for players to audition for a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Captain Davis Love III will announce his four wild-card selections on Tuesday morning in New York City.

As of now, it appears as though there are seven players vying for the final four spots. Today, as we’ve done after each of the rounds at TPC Boston, we’ll break down the contenders and pretenders.

Dustin Johnson (-14): The big hitter tied for fourth in Boston, improving his stock more than any of the other candidates. These FedEx Cup playoffs – or, more to the point, the big ballparks that host these events – have proved very favorable to Johnson. He was T-3 at The Barclays and is likely to receive one of Love’s captain’s picks.

Brandt Snedeker (-13): A 65-67 closing spurt vaulted Snedeker to another top-10 finish in the playoffs. His runner-up at The Barclays, coupled with the solo sixth here, makes the 31-year-old a very appealing candidate.

Jim Furyk (-8): He was solid, if unspectacular, at the Deutsche Bank. But his T-13 at least makes it a little easier for Love to select him as a captain’s pick.

Steve Stricker (-8): Yawn. First guy called on Tuesday.

Nick Watney (-6): After a win at The Barclays, Watney needed at least a top-5 finish to prove to Love that the victory wasn’t a fluke. His T-20 finish likely will leave him on the outside.

Hunter Mahan (-3): A promising start to the week (68), but the two-time winner this season did little to improve his stock. One of the final picks likely will come down to him or Snedeker.

Rickie Fowler (+7): The worst week at the worst possible time, even if Love doesn’t put much stock in the Boston event. If Love picks Fowler, especially after this T-74 finish, he’ll need a convincing reason.