With the six locked USA players chosen, it was only in due time until captain Zach Johnson made his Ryder Cup 2023 selection and picked the other six players to send to Rome. Now that the day has come let’s see how Captain Johnson did with his Ryder Cup 2023 selection results.
Team USA will have a difficult task ahead of them. Not only is the tournament being hosted in Rome, Team Europe also has some of the hottest players in the world, including Tour Championship winner Viktor Hovland.
Ryder Cup 2023 Selection Results: The Captain’s Picks
Here are the six players that successful earned a Ryder Cup 2023 selection.
Rickie Fowler
The resurgence of Rickie! Coming off of his first win since 2019, Rickie’s had a great summer and deserves a spot. His veteran experience was definitely a factor in him getting picked as Fowler will be competing in his 5th Ryder Cup (2010, 2014, 2016, 2018).
Brooks Koepka
Two words best capture this. Well deserved. There was a lot of buzz in the air on if Captain Johnson would take a LIV player. But it is without a doubt that Koepka is one of the top 12 Americans in the world right now and it would’ve been a travesty to leave him off the roster. One of the returners from last year, Big Moment Brooks has the potential to shine again in the spotlight.
Collin Morikawa
The US team is reloading with another 2021 Ryder Cupper (this one undefeated). Although Collin has not been at his best and did not crack the winner’s circle in the 2023 season, this was still a great pick. Morikawa’s chemistry with the rest of the team, matched with his great 2021 at the Ryder Cup should give the USA fans something to be excited about. He also was the one to clinch victory for the USA at the 2021 Ryder Cup.
Jordan Spieth
This is the definition of a “glue guy” pick. Spieth (like Rickie), will be playing in his 5th Ryder Cup this year and will be a massive veteran presence. Although Spieth has not been playing well as of late and is yet to win a Ryder Cup singles match, Captain Johnson was thinking about chemistry and experience with this pick.
Justin Thomas
By far the most questionable pick of any Ryder Cup 2023 selection. JT did not even make the top 70 on the PGA Tour this year. With only two Ryder Cups under his belt, he doesn’t even have close to the most experience on the squad. Johnson is banking heavily on chemistry and Thomas’ great Ryder Cup record to justify the pick.
Sam Burns
After starting off hot at the beginning of the year, Burns has cooled off drastically. He does have great chemistry with his teammates and could be a deadly duo with either Scheffler or Spieth. This will be Burns’ first Ryder Cup and he has a lot to prove in a Cup that will be a test of depth. Some critics say that he was only a Ryder Cup 2023 selection due to his relationship with other players on the team.
Ryder Cup 2023 Selection Results: The Near-Misses
There were some players that just missed the cut for this year’s Ryder Cup team. Here are two of the most notable misses from the Ryder Cup 2023 selection.
Cameron Young
Young has no experience at the Ryder Cup but, he does have some team experience from the President’s Cup. Young finished second in the Match Play and excels in the match play format. Young has been cold as of late and is yet to win on the PGA Tour so it looked as though Captain Johnson was just playing it safe by avoiding Young.
Keegan Bradley
Keegan has been amazing this year putting and striking the ball. He’s shown that he can win as well, with two wins in the past year alone. The New Englander has been slumping hard outside of the wins, but if he is playing his best, Keegan would be without a doubt on the squad. You just don’t know which Keegan you are getting. After he was left off the team, Bradley made an emotional social media post.