Luke Donald now has “clarity” on his European Ryder Cup team, but the problems could just begin for Team USA captain Zach Johnson over whether he will have LIV Golf players alongside him this year .
The 2023 Ryder Cup will take place in Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome at the end of September and after months of uncertainty, we now know that Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia And Ian Poulter will not be there in any capacity.
While the trio of Ryder Cup legends resign Missing the event is a huge blow due to their experience, it precludes any awkward conversations or decisions Donald had to make regarding their participation.
However, for Johnson, it’s a different story because even though American LIV Golf stars are banned from the PGA Tour, a flaw in their PGA of America Membership means they are all still eligible.
And after great performances at the Masters, Brooks Koepka is the 18th, Phil Mickelson the 23, Dustin Johnson 33rd and Patrick Reed 39th in the latest Ryder Cup rankings for Team USA.
Koepka and Johnson recently spoke at LIV Golf Adelaide and confirmed they would love to play in the Ryder Cup if they got in somehow.
“I wouldn’t say I was shocked when Brooks and Dustin suddenly appeared on the U.S. qualifying lists, because I’m determined to just focus on my team,” Donald said.
“But I guess the fact that the rulebook was discovered in their qualifying fine print introduced some new intrigue, especially after some performances at Augusta.”
And a few more strong performances in Majors this year could increase the clamor for players like Johnson, who won all five matches in the last Ryder Cup, and perhaps Koepka and even Reed. to be included.
Donald has been facing similar questions for a while given that Garcia is the leading points scorer in the Ryder Cup and Poulter has his unbeaten singles record, and he is now happy that the show is on the other foot.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
“It’s funny,” Donald said. James Corrigan of the Telegraph. “I was in a Q&A with Zach a few weeks ago and he was asked about the three American LIV players who were in the top five at Augusta.
“I sat back and said, ‘It’s not my problem, we just got the winner.’ It was refreshing not to be confronted with LIV questions.
Although the American team did not suffer any public falling out such as Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia had on the LIV Golf saga – this could still be a tricky team room if one of them somehow qualifies or if Johnson selects them as wild cards.
It could also be seen as an advantage if the captain could call on players like Johnson, Koepka, Reed, or even a DeChambeau or Mickelson while Donald is unable to call upon his trio of experienced Ryder Cup stalwarts.
Donald is just relieved not to face those questions, while European fans are hoping that the lingering questions about Team USA’s LIV players will disrupt the harmony within Johnson’s camp and give them an advantage in Italy.
