United States Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson announced on Wednesday that he has reduced his captain's picks from four to three for the 2014 Ryder Cup.

"I think the players need a shot at earning their spot on the team," Watson stated. "I ran this by three of four recent captains and had some long conversations with them about it."

Paul Azinger, the 2008 captain, was the one that increased the number of picks from two to four. Watson stated the Azinger was, "Behind the decision 100 percent and he had some good thoughts on how to comprise the team."

Points for the United States team will only be collected at this year's major championships. When the 2013-14 PGA Tour schedule starts in October at the Frys.Com Open, players will then have a chance to earn points on a weekly basis.

Watson declined an opportunity to select any assistant captains at Wednesday's announcement, but did state that he has been mulling over a list of some 10 names.

The 2014 Ryder Cup will be held in Scotland on the Centenary Course at Gleneagles Resort.

The European team has won two in a row and five of the last six Ryder Cups. Watson captained the U.S. team to a 15-13 win in 1993 at The Belfry. That was the last U.S. win on European soil.