Mark SchlabachESPN Senior Writer29. Aug 2023 10:03am ET4 minutes read
How do LIV players fit into the Ryder Cup?
Michael Collins expects LIV golfers to be present at the Ryder Cup as the PGA of America allows them to participate.
A LIV Golf League captain will represent the United States when they take on Europe in next month’s Ryder Cup in Italy.
Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka was among US team captain Zach Johnson’s six captain choices announced Tuesday.
Koepka left the PGA Tour in June 2022 and joined the Saudi Arabia-funded LIV Golf League. In May, he won his third PGA championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.
Johnson’s other captain choices were Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth and Sam Burns.
Koepka was returning from a career-threatening knee injury and finished second at the Masters before winning his third Wanamaker Trophy in May. He placed 17th at the US Open and 64th at the Open. He ended up 29 points behind Xander Schauffele, securing last place on the automatic squad.
Although LIV Golf League players have been suspended from the PGA Tour, they are still active PGA of America members for having paid their membership dues prior to June 30, 2022. The governing body said they will retain their membership until the end of June 2023 and then through a grace period, which expires in June 2024, they will be eligible to compete in the Ryder Cup.
European Ryder Cup veterans such as Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter have retired from the DP World Tour and are banned from competing in the Ryder Cup.
Koepka’s intake is unlikely to be scrutinized as closely as Thomas’s after the two-time major champion struggled throughout the PGA Tour season and finished 15th in Ryder Cup points. A two-time PGA Championship winner, Thomas finished 71st in the FedEx Cup points standings and missed the playoffs by one spot. He missed the cut at three of four majors and had three top-10 finishes in 20 starts.
Thomas’ selection is a big gamble for Johnson, who appears to have placed more value on team chemistry and Ryder Cup experience than current form when picking his captain. He picked Thomas over reigning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Cameron Young, Keegan Bradley and Denny McCarthy, who finished higher than Thomas in Ryder Cup points. Lucas Glover, who was 16th on points, won twice on the tour towards the end of the season.
30-year-old Thomas was one of America’s best players in international match-play competitions. He has a 6-2-1 record in two previous Ryder Cup appearances and a 10-3-2 record in three Presidents Cups, which is 17.5 points for the USA
“The bottom line is this game is really tough,” Johnson said of Thomas at the Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in England in July. “There will be summits. There will be some valleys. Let’s hope it’s short no matter what kind of non-summit he’s in.”
“I know he has a great team. I love his trainers. I love how he works. He is a worker. People with such talent work and aren’t afraid to bury their work in the dirt, if you will, don’t.” Be a cliché, you usually find it. It’s just a matter of when, not if. He’s damn good.
Thomas admitted earlier this season that he was probably putting too much pressure on himself because he was desperate to make the Ryder Cup team. He ranked 144th on the tour for putting strokes won (-.222) and 138th for driving accuracy (56.2%).
“I want to get to the Ryder Cup more than anything,” Thomas said at The Open. “I’m probably trying too hard, to be honest. It reminds me a lot of my first year or two on tour. I tried so hard to make it onto this team for the first time. I’m in a very similar situation.” . I was trying to make it easy for Zach and finish in the top six, but I don’t seem to want to do that with my Golf.”
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, US Open winner Wyndham Clark, Open Championship winner Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa and Schauffele had previously qualified for the US team on points.
The US team could be the underdogs when they take on Europe from September 29-October 29 at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club outside Rome. 1. FedEx Cup winners Viktor Hovland, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton have already qualified for the European team. Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry and Justin Rose are also expected to join the roster that will be finalized when Captain Luke Donald makes his six captain choices on September 4.
The USA have not won a Ryder Cup away from home on American soil since a 15-13 victory at the Belfry in Warwickshire, England in 1993.