On the road to the Ryder Cup

What: The BMW Championship, the third of four FedEx Cup playoff events, is Thursday through Sunday at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind.

What's at stake: A late chance to impress U.S. Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III before he decides upon, in consultation with eight players already chosen by a qualifying process, the first three of his four captains' picks. He'll announce those three Monday morning at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska.

The favorites: Phil Mickelson calls Love's options "fairly obvious" from a list that includes two world top-10 players: No. 7 Bubba Watson, No. 9 Rickie Fowler, Olympic bronze medalist Matt Kuchar, 2008 Ryder Cup member J.B. Holmes and nine-time Ryder Cup player Jim Furyk, who will be one of Love's four vice captains if he isn't named to the team.

The Billy Horschel Rule: A revised U.S. team selection process allows Love one final pick on Sept. 25 just in case a player finishes the FedEx Cup playoffs blazing hot, as Horschel did by winning the final two weeks in 2014. Among the candidates: Ryan Moore, Justin Thomas, Gary Woodland, Daniel Berger and Kevin Chappell.

Jerry Zgoda