Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka among selections for 2023 Team USA Ryder Cup squad
Ryder Cup American Team captain Zach Johnson has officially selected his team for this year’s event. Despite a bit of a rocky year, PGA Tour star Justin Thomas is among one of the selections.
Team USA was announced on Tuesday, as 12 players received the opportunity to play in one of golf’s biggest events. The complete team includes:
- Scottie Scheffler
- Wyndham Clark
- Patrick Cantlay
- Brian Harman
- Xander Schauffele
- Max Homa
- Brooks Koepka
- Justin Thomas
- Jordan Spieth
- Collin Morikawa
- Rickie Fowler
- Sam Burns
This year marks the 44th playing of the Ryder Cup, in which Team USA plays Team Europe. The event runs from Sept. 29 through Oct. 1 and will be held at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Italy.
Team Europe has dominated the Ryder Cup since 2002, winning nine of the last 13 events. The United States took home the last victory at Whistling Straits.
Justin Thomas struggled in 2023
Clearly, Johnson has a lot of faith in Thomas to right the ship in this year’s Ryder Cup. The two-time PGA Championship winner struggled quite a bit during the 2023 season.
Thomas missed the cut for three of the four major championships this season (The Masters, U.S. Open and Open Championship). He finished in a tie for 65th in the PGA Championship.
Because of those struggles, Thomas also missed out on the FedEx Cup playoffs for the first time in his career. Following the disappointing campaign, the two-time major winner fired off a tweet.
“Can use adversity as an opportunity to shy away from a challenge, or take it head on,” Thomas wrote. “Was a tough season for me, but I actually had fun battling it out and playing golf this week. It’s why we play. Beyond gutted to miss the playoffs, but I’m proud of how hard I fought #onward.”
LIV Golf star Brooks Koepka lands on Team USA for Ryder Cup
Turns out, a defection from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf won’t prevent one of the sport’s top players from participating in the Ryder Cup, after all. Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka earned a captain’s pick selection to this year’s squad.
Koepka had an outstanding season, winning the PGA Championship for the third time in his career. He also finished second in The Masters and tied for 17th in the U.S. Open. Though he made the cut at the Open Championship, he ended that tournament in a tie for 64th.
So, for as much grief as the LIV Golf players received, they’re still playing in major championships and earning spots on the Ryder Cup.