Late-night text may have landed Webb Simpson on Ryder Cup team

REPORTING FROM GLENEAGLES, Scotland — Now the story can be told -- Webb Simpson may have talked his way onto the U.S. Ryder Cup team by way of a post-midnight text to captain Tom Watson.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Simpson discussed failing to qualify for one of the first nine spots on the squad and having to rely on Watson’s three wild-card picks.

He said that lying awake in the early morning hours of Sept. 2, the day Watson was scheduled to finalize the U.S. roster, he grew anxious.

“I thought, I had not heard from him. I probably would have heard from him by now, and I’ve got nothing to lose,” he recalled.

The player said he texted something along the lines of “I know it’s a really tough decision.” To his surprise, he said, Watson not only texted right back, acknowledging the difficulty of the decision, but also called about 30 minutes later.

“He asked me why I thought he should put me on the team,” Simpson said. “And 4:30 in the morning, it’s a tough question to be asked.”

Simpson said he talked about his passion and experience. Later that day, Watson added him to the squad along with Keegan Bradley and Hunter Mahan.

“I kind of snuck in there,” Simpson said. “So whatever it was, whatever he saw, it worked.”

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