3 Ryder Cup rookies take early look at Medinah

On the same day he finalized his Ryder Cup roster, U.S. captain Davis Love admitted that getting members of his squad to sneak in some playing time at Medinah Country Club in the midst of the FedEx Cup Playoffs wasn’t going to be an easy task.

“I can’t say, ‘Hey, everybody meet me at Medinah during your one week off in a big, busy stretch and we are going to play all week there the week before you go back to The Tour Championship to try to play for the FedEx Cup,’” Love said at the time.

“But they are going to have to play a lot of golf going in (to the Cup), and that’s good.”

Well, a handful of Love’s players — including three Ryder Cup rookies — decided to show up at Medinah despite their hectic schedules.

Getting the lay of the land at Medinah this week were Cup rookies Jason Dufner, Brandt Snedeker and Keegan Bradley.

Also reacquainting himself with the layout of course No. 3 was veteran Steve Stricker, who finished T-7 when the 2006 PGA Championship was held at Medinah.

All four are in the top 14 heading into next weekend’s Tour Championship in Atlanta. Snededker is at No. 5, and a victory at the Tournament Championship would ensure him the playoff title and the $10 million top prize that comes with it.

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