5 golfers who could’ve replaced Justin Thomas on the US Ryder Cup team
Justin Thomas is one of the members to represent America at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome. He missed a chance to crack into the top 70 of the FedEx Cup standings but still earned a spot on the team. This did not sit well among fans because they believed there were other golfers who deserved a chance to play in Rome.
The 2023 US Ryder Cup team was finally confirmed on August 29 as captain Zach Johnson announced the remaining six of the 12-member team. He picked Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns, Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka, and Jordan Spieth.
Below is a list of the five members who could've taken Justin Thomas' spot on the 2023 US Ryder Cup team.
5 golfers who could’ve taken Justin Thomas' place on the US Ryder Cup team
#1 Cameron Young
Cameron Young finished ninth in the US Ryder Cup standings. But still, he was not selected by the captain.
Young has been in excellent form since the beginning of 2023. He has only missed the cut in three events and recorded his best finish at the 2023 World Golf Championship-Dell Technologies Match Play, where he finished in the runner-up position.
#2 Keegan Bradley
In the US Ryder Cup standings, Bradley also came in ahead of Justin Thomas. Despite finishing in 11th place, he was unable to join the American team.
He won the Travelers Championship earlier this year and had only missed the cut in five events since the beginning of 2023.
#3 Lucas Glover
Although Lucas Glover did not have a strong start to the PGA Tour season, he finished the season with a victory at the Wyndham Championship and earned a spot in the FedEx Cup standings.
He also won the first FedEx Playoff event and finished T22 at the BMW Championship and T18 at the Tour Championship.
#4 Denny McCarthy
McCarthy finished ahead of Justin Thomas in the US Ryder Cup Standings with a total of 6,761 points. Additionally, he played better this year on the PGA Tour and might have taken Thomas' place on the Ryder Cup roster.
McCarthy placed second at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday and has only missed the cut in five tournaments in 2023. At the John Deere Classic, he placed T6, and at the Travelers Championship, T7.
He also earned a spot in the FedEx Cup playoffs and participated in the first two matches.
#5 Kurt Kitayama
Kurt Kitayama finished the season with two PGA Tour victories and a top-70 finish in the FedEx standings.
He participated in the Sony Open in Hawaii to kick off the new year and placed T73. He did, however, fail to make the cut in seven competitions this year, placing him in 17th place overall in the US Ryder Cup standings.