Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka is one of the captain’s picks added to the 2023 United States Ryder Cup team.
U.S. captain Zach Johnson announced Tuesday that Koepka, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth and Sam Burns will be on the squad when the event begins on Sept. 29.
Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa and Xander Schauffele already qualified for the U.S. team.
Koepka’s inclusion is notable because he’s the only player from LIV Golf on the team.
Even though LIV players were suspended by the PGA Tour in June 2022, anyone who paid membership dues to the PGA of America before June 30, 2022, retained their Ryder Cup eligibility for this year.
The LIV-PGA Tour merger hasn’t changed anything yet because it hasn’t officially been completed.
Several European players, including Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood, won’t be eligible for the Ryder Cup team after resigning from the DP World Tour in May amid sanctions imposed by the DP World Tour for joining LIV.
Koepka became the first LIV player to win a major tournament with his victory at the PGA Championship in May. It was his second win of the year after a LIV event in Orlando in April.
Thomas might be the most divisive pick because of his struggles this season. The 30-year-old missed the cut in all four major tournaments and five of his past eight tournaments overall.
Johnson explained the decision by praising Thomas as the “emotional leader” of Team USA.
Morikawa and Burns finished in the top 10 at the Tour Championship. Spieth has had an erratic season with seven top-10 finishes and six missed cuts in 22 tournaments.
Fowler has made the cut at 22 of 24 tournaments this season, highlighted by a victory at the Rocket Mortgage Classic that ended his four-year winless drought.
European team captain Luke Donald will make his captain’s picks on Sept. 4. Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Tyrell Hatton are already on the team.
The 2023 Ryder Cup will take place at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy. The U.S. team is seeking to be the first repeat Ryder Cup champ since the European squad won three straight times in 2010, 2012 and 2014.
