Justin Thomas vs Bryson DeChambeau: Who should make the USA Ryder Cup team?
Justin Thomas saw his FedEx Cup Playoff chances dashed over the weekend at the Wyndham Championship. The golfer needed to nail a miraculous shot to reverse a season of relatively poor form and he came up empty. Not for a lack of trying, though, as the shot landed a mere inches from falling into the cup.
Since those dreams are over, Thomas will now turn his attention to the Ryder Cup. He's not assured of a spot on the team there, either. Despite his success at the event in the past, he could be left on the outside looking in.
As it stands, Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, Brooks Koepka, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay would be the automatic qualifiers. Since Koepka is likely to drop out of the top six, Max Homa and Cameron Young are primed to take that spot from him.
Thomas is 14th, so even if captain Zach Johnson used his six selections to take the next six qualifiers, Thomas would be on the outside looking in. That won't happen, but Thomas' prospects don't look good.
On the other side, Bryson DeChambeau has been a revelation in recent weeks. The LIV Golf star captured the LIV title over the weekend with a stunning performance. He has played well in the majors this year as well.
Bryson DeChambeau's drives were in full flight during his Sunday 58 at the Greenbrier. How much of an asset would that be on the U.S. Ryder Cup team? Weekly Read Fore! Things by @BobHarig: trib.al/5d9qFlz
He'll be a consideration, perhaps the second LIV player considered after Koepka. It may come down to Thomas vs DeChambeau. If that's the case, who deserves the spot?
Bryson Dechambeau vs Justin Thomas: Ryder Cup selections
Bryson DeChambeau is in excellent form of late. The same cannot quite be said for Justin Thomas, despite a very solid -11 showing at Wyndham over the weekend. He was -2 at the 3M Open, but was horrendous (11 over par) at the Open Championship.
He's had a mixed bag of results lately, but that includes a 14 over at the US Open, six over at the Memorial and a +12 at the PGA Championship. His recent form is better, but his performances against the best of the best have been awful.
DeChambeau missed the cut at the Masters with a +4 showing (the same score and status as Justin Thomas). He finished fourth at the PGA Championship, shooting three under par.
He was T20 at the US Open with a one over showing and he finished his major season with a +7 outing. His results haven't been amazing, either, but they haven't been quite as catastrophic as Thomas'.
If Johnson decides to include LIV Golfers, then DeChambeau will be a strong consideration. It will be difficult to leave an icon of the US team off in Thomas, but that may be what happens and DeChambeau would be a good choice to replace him.
If Johnson elects to ignore LIV, which he probably won't, then it won't matter. Then the question will be between Thomas and Rickie Fowler, Sam Burns, Collin Morikawa and others.
Justin Thomas still stands a chance at making it in, but he faces tough competition for what will be one of the last spots on the roster.