“He clearly has a plan in mind” - Lee Westwood gives his verdict on Zach Johnson's Ryder Cup picks
Zach Johnson made a pick out of left field when he selected Justin Thomas for the Ryder Cup. Thomas is 15th in Ryder Cup points and is not playing very well right now. He failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs and many believe his poor form should have kept him off the US team.
Nevertheless, for a variety of reasons, Thomas was selected for the team. It was a controversial decision, one that a lot of people have commented on. Lee Westwood, a former Ryder Cup standout for the European side, is the latest to share his thoughts on the same.
Westwood said on X, formerly known as Twitter:
"If Zach Johnson would have gone straight down the list he would have had a great team. He clearly has a plan in mind and picked 2 outside of that 12. Which is a captain’s prerogative. There is however extra pressure when [you're] a pick and not playing well."
Westwood poked fun at Johnson for selecting two players outside the top 12 in Ryder Cup points. Keegan Bradley and Cameron Young (who was ninth overall) were left out in favor of Rickie Fowler and Thomas.
Fowler is having a very good season this year. He finally broke his longstanding losing streak and performed pretty well for the majority of the season. That's not exactly the case with Thomas, so Bradley and Young are both considered surprising snubs.
Johnson, when the pick was made and the criticism began rolling in, justified his pick:
“Our emotional leader. He has been the heart and soul of Team USA. In my mind he was born for this and you just don’t leave JT at home.”
Johnson further explained his decision. He believes Thomas' talent will shine through, and that his current form will pass. He said in July that he believed in the golfer well before he selected him (via ESPN):
"Bottom line is this game is really hard. There's going to be peaks. There's going to be some valleys. Let's hope whatever sort of non-peak he's in, it's short."
Thomas' experience is well-documented. However, Lee Westwood and others believe the form of the golfer is something worth considering when it comes to picking for the Ryder Cup.
Zach Johnson faced two extremely tough choices for the Ryder Cup
US captain Zach Johnson had two very hard choices to make regarding the Ryder Cup. Would an admittedly deserving LIV Golf player be left off because of his defection to the tour? Would a Ryder veteran be left off because he's in poor form?
Johnson elected to say no to both of those questions. Thomas was selected even though he's not played very well this year. Some pundits and other golfers beforehand said leaving him off would be a mistake and Johnson seems to have agreed.
Brooks Koepka nearly qualified on his own, but he slipped to seventh in the standings. Thus, Johnson had to pick him and did so. He said after that he and the rest of the team wanted Koepka on board, and that made the decision easier.