Ryder Cup Team USA captain Zach Johnson plays down 'premature' talk of LIV players featuring in Rome
Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson among the players who could still qualify for Team USA, despite resigning from the PGA Tour last year to join LIV; Zach Johnson says talk of featuring at Marco Simone Golf Club next summer remains 'premature'
Wednesday 17 May 2023 20:31, UK
Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson has played down the possibility of LIV players featuring for Team USA this September, admitting the prospect is currently “not even a discussion item”.
Players who resigned from the DP World Tour are no longer eligible to represent Team Europe in the biennial contest, whereas American players can still feature even if they're banned or resigned from the PGA Tour for joining LIV.
Six players will automatically qualify to feature for Team USA at Marco Simone Golf Club this September, with points accrued from PGA Tour events and majors, with Johnson then having six wildcard selections to complete his side.
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Brooks Koepka (22nd) is the highest-ranked LIV player in the qualification standings, following his tied-second finish at The Masters last month, while 16 players from the Saudi-funded circuit have the opportunity to earn qualification points this week at the PGA Championship.
When asked whether he was considering having LIV players on his team this autumn, Johnson said in his pre-tournament press conference at Oak Hill: "We're at a point right now where it's not even a discussion item.
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"There's maybe a couple guys that have come close to securing their spot in the top six but, when it comes to picks, it's not even on my radar, especially given how many points are still out there, whether you're talking about major championships or elevated events or all of the above.
"I think it would be premature and almost irresponsible to even go into that. It's not on my radar right now."
Which LIV players could feature for Team USA?
LIV players will only be able to accumulate points in the final three majors of the year, making it challenging for the likes of Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed to play their way into an automatic qualification places.
"The way I see it is, every guy that wants to make the US Ryder Cup team should try to make the top six," Johnson said. "However that looks, you've got to play good and earn your way onto that team.
"I've been on both sides of that. It's not fun not getting picked, and it's not fun waiting for that phone call to be picked unless you get it. It's a tough thing as a pro, but it's something you've got to go through. I want all those guys to try to make the team and make it a priority."
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Koepka impressed at Augusta National, Talor Gooch won back-to-back events on the LIV circuit and Dustin Johnson arrives after winning the LIV event in Tulsa on Sunday, although Johnson insists he will be looking at "a lot of factors" when finalising his team.
"I haven't really seen where he [Koepka] is at since Augusta," Johnson admitted. "He played really good that one week, but it's one week. I don't want to sit here and say that it's concrete, it's the only thing we're going to be looking at.
"It's one week, at a major venue, at the Masters tournament. He played great. But there's a lot of golf. There's still a lot of golf between now and then.
"One of the factors that we've looked at over the years is what kind of form are the guys in when it gets close to the Tour Championship. I think that would be wise for me to look at. There's a lot of factors involved."
Asked about his namesake's form, Johnson added: "Really difficult for me to judge that. I don't know the golf courses they're playing. Never seen them. I'm not there on foot, in person. You're talking about an individual whose resume is extremely deep and wide.
"He's certainly in my generation one of the best players I've ever competed against, but it's not fair for me to guess his true form or anybody's true form that I can't witness."
Johnson also said he will take his final line-up to Italy in early September for a scouting mission, ahead of their bid for a first American victory on European soil later that month.
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