Jim Furyk is excited to see Tiger Woods back in contention for majors as the deadline for his Ryder Cup captain's picks draws closer.
Much to the excitement of the golfing world, Woods found his rhythm at the Open at Carnoustie but saw his challenge fade down the stretch, as he finished sixth overall.
He was again in the mix at the US PGA Championship on Sunday as a superb 64 put him within touching distance of Brooks Koepka, Woods ending up two shots adrift of the eventual champion.
Woods' improved form has seen him climb to 11th in the Ryder Cup rankings and he is a hot favourite for a wildcard spot at Le Golf National next month.
But Furyk would not be drawn on whether the 42-year-old would be guaranteed a spot for the defending champions.
Read: Tiger Woods feeling good after US PGA challenge
"I'm not sure the [ranking] numbers are that important, what is important is how well Tiger has played," he told a media conference.
"Sixth at Open, second at the PGA, his game is trending. It's great to see him playing well, numbers are nice but the not most important, we want players who can make us successful.
"He's playing very well and I know a lot of folks think he can [help us] but we really want to talk about the top eight today.
"But I realise he's playing well and I'm excited to see that."
Furyk will name his first three picks on September 3, with the final player to be announced after the PGA Tour's BMW Championship six days later.
The 48-year-old says the door remains open to a number of players to stake their claim to be involved, and someone who finds form in the coming weeks would be hard to overlook.
"We have an idea of who they [the top eight] want to play with, who they want to pair with," added Furyk. "But we have some big tournaments coming up, so we will get an opportunity to see some more guys play.
"If someone is playing hot he'll catch the team's eye. There is not defined a set number [of contenders], maybe we have eight on the radar but the door is open.
"There is not a set number or set pool, just who is playing the best."
Furyk's top eight is headed by US PGA champion Koepka, with the 28-year-old joined by Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson.
The captain is pleased with his automatic selections and believes they can help propel his team to victory in France.
"I'm excited," he said. "I have a lot of confidence in the eight, they know the task ahead of us, they know it will be tough, but I cannot be more excited about the eight and I have confidence in them."
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