Can Brooks Koepka still qualify for the Ryder Cup after losing automatic qualification? Scenarios explored
Brooks Koepka still has a good chance to qualify for the Ryder Cup even after missing out on the auto-qualification.
A Ryder Cup team has 12 members. Six of those are auto-qualified based on points they earned from their performances throughout the season while playing in the majors and Tour events. The remaining six are picked up by the captain.
Koepka missed auto-qualification after Xander Schauffele and Max Homa secured a spot in the US team with their amazing performance at last week's BMW Championship. Now, the LIV golfer has only one chance to make it to the team if Ryder Cup skipper Zach Johnson chooses him.
Brooks Koepka has been playing fantastic golf since the beginning of this year. He won the 2023 PGA Championship, finished second at the Masters earlier in April and also registered victory in the LIV Golf events.
He finished T-17 at the US Open in 2023 and is placed 13th in the Official World Golf Rankings. He has three Ryder Cup appearances and a record of 6-5-1 and 2-0-1 in singles events. Considering his performance this year, fans believe Koepka deserves a spot on the team.
Earlier in June, the PGA Tour signed a contract with Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, with which the legal battle between LIV and the tour came to an end. This also gives Koepka fans hope that he will play in Rome this year.
The remaining names for the Ryder Cup will be announced by Johnson after this week's Tour Championship.
Is Brooks Koepka eligible to play at the Ryder Cup?
Although Brooks Koepka is a member of the LIV Golf series, he is eligible to compete in the Ryder Cup because he is still being a member of the PGA Tour. He is banned from playing in the Tour events, but he has not resigned from his membership.
LIV golfers are not eligible to compete in the European team at the Ryder Cup. This is because most of the DP World Tour players resigned from their membership earlier this year to play in the Saudi circuit. However, this is not the case with the American LIV golfers.
Even the US' Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson hinted at adding LIV golfers to the roster in his recent interview with the "Golf Subpar" podcast.
Johnson said:
"Americans. Six Americans, Born in the United States. And probably on the PGA TOUR, but not necessarily.
"I’m going to be fully transparent. It’s hard because I’m not able to witness what they’re doing [at LIV Golf] and see their form, with the exception of four events a year."
Brooks Koepka thus has a good chance of making the team because he performed well in major tournaments this year. He now ranks seventh in the 2023 US Ryder Cup standings.
This year's Ryder Cup will get underway on September 29 and have its final on October 1 in Rome, Italy.