Zach Johnson will face tough decisions in less than two weeks when he chooses his captain for the upcoming Ryder Cup in Rome. Brooks Koepka doesn’t have to play a factor in future US captaincy decisions, or so we thought.
After capturing his third PGA Championship earlier this year and a T-2 finish at the Masters in April, Koepka currently finds himself fifth in the US team standings. The top six in the standings after the conclusion of this week’s BMW Championship will automatically earn a place in the team heading to Rome.
Koepka is the only LIV player in the Top 35 in the team standings, let alone the top six, but Johnson doesn’t seem too excited about the prospect of a PGA Tour defector being on the 12-man squad, even if he is one five-time major winner.
“There wasn’t a lot of communication,” Johnson told Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz on ‘Subpar‘ Podcast about LIV players who have a chance to make the team.
“I’ll be completely transparent. It’s hard because I can’t witness what they do and see their form, except for four events a year. What Brooks has done this year, no one is surprised. I’m just happy that he is healthy.”
It’s worth noting that these comments from Johnson were off the record months ago and are now being released to help build excitement for the Ryder Cup. The podcast was published on August 17 and is part of an interview held at the Ralph Lauren store in Chicago to preview the outfits of the US team, which was shared earlier this week.
While Johnson’s comments about not witnessing LIV players doing their thing make sense, he didn’t have to do anything but look at Koepka’s resume to know he earned a spot on the team in this year’s Ryder Cup.
LIV’s outdoor finishes, wins at the PGA Championship, a T-2 finish at Augusta National, and another Top 20 at the US Open speak for themselves. He has also been a part of three different Ryder Cup teams and carries an overall record of 6-5-1.
Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris