ELMSFORD, N.Y. (August 17, 2006) - When J.J. Henry arrives for his tee time at Medinah Country Club on Thursday morning, a PGA Championship victory will not be the only thing on his mind.  Henry, who is in the midst of his best season on tour, is also playing for a spot on this year’s Ryder Cup team. He currently sits in eighth place on the points list.

After winning the Buick Championship on July 2 in his home state of Connecticut, Henry moved into sixth place on the Ryder Cup points list.  It was a fitting reward for the five-year veteran of the PGA Tour who also has two top-five finishes this year, a t-2 at the FBR Open in February and a t-4 at the BellSouth Classic in April, and currently sits in 26th place on the money list with $1,661,995. Even though he dropped two spots to eighth place in

recent weeks, Henry has a strong chance to finish in the top 10 in points and make the Ryder Cup team after the PGA Championship.

The PGA Championship is the final event in which a player can earn points and because it is a major, more points are awarded for a top-ten finish.  Therefore, only a few players have the potential to knock Henry out of the top ten.  After the PGA Championship, the top ten players on the points list are automatically on the team, with the final two positions chosen by the captain.  The two players with the best shot to supplant Henry are Zach Johnson and Brett Wetterich.  Johnson had a successful run earlier this season where he was the runner-up at the Memorial Tournament and the BellSouth Classic and finished in third in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.  The 2006 season has been Brett Wetterich’s breakout year since joining the Tour in 1994.  He captured his first victory at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship in May and also had two top-ten finishes, a t-2 at the Memorial and t-6 at the Shell Houston Open. 

For Henry to drop out of the top ten, both Johnson and Wetterich must finish in the top eight at the PGA and Henry could not finish in the top ten.  Even under these circumstances, Henry would still retain his position in the top ten, unless one of the players further down the list finished in the top eight or better.  Fred Couples, Davis Love III and Stewart Cink are lurking in the shadows, but they would have to finish in the top seven to overtake Henry.

To those who have seen Henry play at the regional and state level, his success on the PGA Tour this year comes as no surprise.  Prior to turning professional, Henry amassed a number of victories in Met Area while playing out of The Patterson Club in Fairfield, Conn.  He won the 1994, ’95 and ’98 Connecticut State Amateur, the 1998 New England Amateur and was the 1996 Connecticut State Player of the Year.  He was also the runner-up in both the 1997 Ike Championship and the 1994 Met Amateur Championship.  When he turned pro in 1998, Henry excelled quickly on the Nationwide Tour and won the 2000 Knoxville Open.

J.J. Henry has been the star of a group of Met Area players who have made an impact on the professional tours this year.  Former Met Open and Met Amateur champion Johnson Wagner is one Nationwide Tour victory away from earning a “Battlefield Promotion” to the PGA Tour and has all but locked up his PGA Tour card for the 2007 season.  Andrew Svoboda of Winged Foot and Chris Nallen of Panther Valley also had some highlights this season when they played with Henry in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. 

However, it has been Henry who has achieved the most success on the biggest stage to date.  He is the most successful star to emerge from the Met Area in some time, but he will have his work cut out for him should he make the Ryder Cup team.  The United States has lost to the Europeans in four of the last five meetings, including a humiliating 18 ½ to 9 ½ loss in 2004 at Oakland Hills Country Club in Michigan.  Tom Lehman, the team captain, will look to young players like Henry to make significant contributions.  If his past is any indication, J.J. Henry should be up to the task.