CHASKA, Minn. -- Bubba Watson did not make the U.S. Ryder Cup team, nor was he one of captain Davis Love III's at-large selections. But the two-time Masters winner still got his wish to be a part of the U.S. Ryder Cup effort as Love named him as his fifth vice captain.
Watson, who finished one spot outside of the eight automatic qualifiers and is ranked seventh in the world, was passed over for Ryan Moore, who will make his first Ryder Cup appearance after finishing second to Rory McIlroy on Sunday following a sudden-death playoff at the Tour Championship.
Watson will join Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk and Tom Lehman as assistants and was already at Hazeltine National on Monday afternoon.
Love said Watson had offered his services last week prior to the Tour Championship and again on Sunday night when Love called him to tell him he was not being picked.
"Incredible gesture,'' Love said during a news conference Monday. "We're still in disbelief. We have a lot of emotion over Arnold Palmer (who passed away Sunday), a lot of emotion over a last-minute pick, but what Bubba did really shows how together the U.S. team really is. We're excited to have him."
Moore, 33, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour, maintained throughout the weekend that he did not believe he would be a pick, regardless of the outcome.
He declined a chance to practice with a team a week ago after a stretch of seven straight tournaments. A former U.S. Amateur and NCAA champion, Moore was about to board a plane with his family back to his home in Las Vegas when Love reached him by phone Sunday night.
Moore headed home and then got to Minnesota on Monday afternoon.
"It was a tough decision,'' Love said. "We waited until the last minute to catch a hot player. Ryan, obviously, week after week after week was the hottest player. Since the PGA Championship, and even before, he's been the most consistent."
Moore won the John Deere Classic last month and then had top-10 finishes at both the Barclays and Deutsche Bank Championship in addition to his close call against McIlroy.
He joins Brooks Koepka as the only rookies on the U.S. team. Darren Clarke's European team, which arrived early Monday, has six rookies, including Masters champion Danny Willett.
The Ryder Cup begins Friday morning.