Love It: Couples Goes Bold And Picks Spieth

John Strege on Fred Couples selecting Jordan Spieth over Jim Furyk for the final Presidents Cup pick.

International captain Nick Price chose Australian Marc Leishman and Zimbabwe's Brendon de Jonge with his two picks.

Peer pressure more than the public's interest influenced Couples.

"He played with Phil Mickelson on Monday and Phil texted me in the car and his words were, exactly, 'Dude, you've got to pick this guy,'" Couples said.

Jeff Rude endorsed the selection but actually quibbled with Webb Simpson, who Couples made clear was his top choice last weekend.

Personally I would have chosen bomber Dustin Johnson over Simpson, largely because Simpson said Monday that he would welcome time to heal an ailing neck. What’s more, Johnson is a dangerous four-ball player, particularly on a big ball field such as Muirfield Village, and went 3-0 in last year’s Ryder Cup.

The matches are October 3-6.