29 August 2023 , 21:42
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Team USA Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson has explained his decision to select LIV Golf star Brooks Koepka in his 12-man team.
Johnson announced his six captain's picks on Monday, which included Koepka alongside Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Sam Burns. The selected six join the already qualified Scottie Scheffler, Brian Harman, Wyndham Clark, Max Homa, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele to complete the U.S. team.
The selection of Koepka was one that had been in the spotlight for some time amid the five-time major champion's links to the LIV Golf setup. The Smash GC captain catapulted his name into contention after winning the PGA Championship.
His win at Oak Hill saw him move into second in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings, and almost earned himself an automatic spot before slipping out of the top six following the last week of qualifying. Despite his lack of PGA Tour golf, his fifth major win proved enough to win over his captain.
And after confirming Koepka's place on Monday, Johnson was unsurprisingly quizzed on the reasoning behind his decision. "When it came to BK [Brooks Koepka], his experience, his temperament, the way he goes about his work, his passion for the Ryder Cup all spoke volumes," he said.
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"He would say, and I'm confident in saying, he and I have been communicating a lot, I would say, over the last couple, maybe few months. We've had great discussions, very candid discussions. When he started to really make his way on to this team, the way I kind of see it, he basically earned his way on the team, if you're going to get down to the pennies and dollars of it. It was a pretty easy pick.
Brooks Koepka will compete at this year's Ryder Cup"Brooks is great in the team room and great inside the ropes. That goes without saying. These guys wanted him. I wanted him. A very natural fit."
Koepka was not the only LIV star bidding to make the team, with the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Talor Gooch and Dustin Johnson all hoping to battle their way in. Johnson, however, opted to side with just the one LIV player in Koepka.
Players on the breakaway circuit were starved of Ryder Cup ranking points amid their PGA Tour suspensions, and if captain's words are anything to go by, it appears Koepka's fellow LIV stars did not receive a call to inform them they had missed out.
Asked if he contacted DeChambeau and co, he said: "I called the gentlemen that really were kind of in the fold of making the team on points. You'd have to go down the list. I don't remember my last phone call as far as the ranking went, but it was probably in the top 25 range, top 22 range, something in there, on guys that earned points."