FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- It was just after noon on Sunday when Zach Johnson walked out of the Barclays scoring area, saw the swarm of reporters take a step in his direction and started laughing.I know, he said, holding up his hands. Settle down.Johnson knew exactly what awaited. After steadily residing within the top-eight on the U.S. Ryder Cup points list since his Open Championship win last summer, he was on the verge of falling outside an automatic position on the final day of qualification and needed to answer the questions about it.Heres how strange the next several hours were: Seemingly resigned to believing hed need a captains pick, Johnson offered responses such as, I just hope I get another opportunity, and I just hope I play better. By sundown, he was on the team.The line separating the last few players who made the U.S. roster and those who missed out is thinner than the gallery ropes which will separate the boisterous fans from the action at Hazeltine in four weeks. Johnsons gain was Rickie Fowlers loss, the byproduct of a closing struggle that left Fowler two strokes shy of qualifying.With two-thirds of his roster now set, captain Davis Love III will embark on a Monday media tour in New York City during which hell undoubtedly sing the praises of any and all potential wildcard selections.That list includes Fowler, of course, with Bubba Watson and Matt Kuchar theoretically right beside him and Jim Furyk and J.B. Holmes perhaps just behind them.But the remaining four captains picks could turn into a sort of shell game for Love and his assistants. The first three will be announced on September 12, one day after the BMW Championship, while the 12th and final one will be decided two weeks later, directly after the Tour Championship.That was a conscious decision on behalf of the infamous task force, a decision which should allow them the ability to pick the hottest players going into the Ryder Cup.It could just as easily paint them into a corner.Lets say Fowler, Watson and Kuchar are indeed those first three picks. If Love is planning to pick, say, Furyk or Holmes with that last one, itll be a bad look if neither even plays in the season finale, a very real possibility considering each is currently outside that top-30 on the points list.Instead, the door remains wide open for a player who might not be on the radar, even right now with a month left. Theres a very real possibility that someone such as Bill Haas or Billy Horschel, each of whom has won the playoffs in past years, can post a few strong weeks and essentially force his way onto the team.Maybe thats the best way to decide things anyway. After all, the usual list of characteristics from captains picks is contradictory.We collectively want players with experience who arent scarred by previous losses. We want big hitters and great putters. We want guys who have enjoyed season-long success and guys who could be horses for the course.With all of those variables, going simply with the hot hand sounds as effective as any other idea.Those who are seeking one of these final spots will simply need to heed the advice Johnson had for himself when he thought he wouldnt make it: Play better.It was a notion also eloquently explained by Phil Mickelson, a member of that task force who also qualified for the team.The fact is, if you dont make it on your own, then you need to bring a lot more to the table than just your game, he said Sunday. The great thing about the game of golf is if you dont like where youre at, you can do something about it by simply playing better and shooting lower scores. There are no judges here that are giving you scores that are subjective. Its all out there. Whatever your number is, just shoot it. Shoot a lower score than the other guy and youll do pretty good. You might win.Two-thirds of the U.S. Ryder Cup team is set. The next few weeks will determine the remainder of the roster, but each candidate knows exactly what he needs to do in order to land one of those spots.Its the same answer to every problem in golf. Play better. Chicago Bears Allen Robinson Jersey .com) - The women will also have a new champion at the Australian Open. Khalil Mack Jerseys Bears . LOUIS -- Roman Polak was celebrating even before Alexander Steen scored the winning goal in Saturdays 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. http://www.chicagobearsshoponline.com/custom-chicago-bears-jersey.html . Tracey comes to the Blue Bombers after spending over a decade with Queens University. Most recently he was the schools assistant football coach. Mike Singletary Bears Jersey . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. 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CHICAGO -- Wrigley Field was dark and empty when a loud cheer reverberated throughout the neighborhood surrounding the iconic ballpark.While the Chicago Cubs decided to delay their party Thursday night, their long-downtrodden fans were ready to celebrate.Chicago wasted its first chance to clinch the National League Central title but became the first major league team this season to clinch a division crown when St. Louis?lost 6-2 at San Francisco.The Cubs lost 5-4 to the Milwaukee Brewers earlier Thursday night, but they captured their first NL Central crown since 2008 when the Giants finished off their victory over the Cardinals.Wrigley was quiet when Matt Adams made the final out on the West Coast. However, it touched off a celebration in Chicago that included honking horns and chanting in the streets.And late at night, the Cubs famous marquee lit up with a message:Led by a stellar pitching staff and MVP contenders Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, Chicago got off to a sizzling 25-6 start. After stumbling into the All-Star break, the Cubs pulled away with a 22-6 August that turned the NL Central race into a mere formality.This is just the first step, manager Joe Maddon said after the Cubs game but before the Cardinals loss. I mean, we have much larger baseball fish to fry in our skillet.The Cubs likely will enter the 2016 postseason as heavy favorites. According to the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook, they are 9-4 favorites to win the World Series.Indeed, the NL Central crown is not how this group of Cubs will be judged, not this year.After running roughshod over the rest of the majors for most of the season, Rizzo & Co.dddddddddddd are trying to end the franchises famous championship drought, going all the way back to when the Cubs beat the Tigers in the 1908 World Series.Weve got a lot ahead of us. We really do, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said before the Cubs loss. It kind of all boils down to how you perform in October.This is the 16th time since the first World Series in 1903 that the Cubs have finished in first place in their league or division, but they are 2-for-15 when it comes to winning the World Series in those seasons and are on a run of 12 straight first-place finishes that didnt result in a World Series title.Its only the third time since 1903 that the Cubs have reached the postseason in consecutive seasons. They got in as a wild card last year and made it to the NL Championship Series before they were swept by the New York Mets.The offseason additions of Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward only added to the anticipation for the Cubs loyal fan base, and they have delivered up until this point. But many of those same fans also were around for the last division title, when the 2008 Cubs won 97 games and then were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the division series.Theres no team Id rather be going into October with, Epstein said. But there are never favorites in October the same way there are in the regular season.Information from The Associated Press and ESPN Stats & Information was used in this report. ' ' '