“He’s great in the locker room” - Zach Johnson hints at Justin Thomas potentially getting a captains pick for the Ryder Cup
Zach Johnson recently indicated Justin Thomas' inclusion in the upcoming Ryder Cup. While the latter currently stands in 14th rank in the US team rankings, his pick most depends on the captain.
In a tweet shared by NUCLR GOLF, Johnson spoke about potentially including Thomas in the US team for the upcoming Rome event during a Golf Subpar podcast.
"We've been communicating. I would hope that he understands and he does. Open lines, we're gonna keep the honesty train going, we're gonna leave it all out there," Zach Johnson said.
Zach Johnson cleared that he had a discussion with Justin Thomas and the latter is positive about it. He also emphasized that Thomas is in consideration since he was 'great in locker room' and had been part of the team since 2017.
"I told him I don't know what's in store but he's obviously still in consideration, he's been a part of Team USA since 2017, guys wanna be around him, he's great in the locker room, and obviously what he's done inside the ropes in these cups has been well documented. His resume speaks for itself. But I also gotta look at all the other factors involved," Johnson said.
"I legitimately would rather make the Ryder Cup" - When Justin Thomas on making it to the Rome event instead of FedEx Cup playoffs
During the last event of the PGA Tour season, the 2023 Wyndham Championship, Justin Thomas shared that he would opt for a 2023 Ryder Cup spot rather than the post-season playoffs.
During a media interaction at Sedgefield Country Club, as quoted by Golfweek, Justin Thomas said:
"I want to make the Ryder Cup team so bad. I mean, it's so important to me. I mean, I legitimately would rather make the Ryder Cup than the Playoffs, which is really, really messed up to say, but it's just the truth."
The two-time PGA Championship winner highlighted that he has not been in top form in the past few months as it was in 2016.
"But because of that, I think that's why I played so poorly the last month and a half or two months. Like it's just I'm putting so much pressure on myself to play well, it's very similar to what happened to me in 2016," Thomas added.
When will Captain Zach Johnson make the US Team pick for the 2023 Ryder Cup?
With the upcoming Rome event just one and a half months away, the US team is set to announce their squad on August 29, 2023. The announcement will be made at the headquarters of the PGA of America, Frisco, Texas.
Fans can watch Captain Zach Johnson making the US team picks for the 2023 Ryder Cup at 10:00 to 11:00 am ET on Golf Channel, @RyderCupUSA's Social Channels, RyderCup.com & SiriusXM Radio Channel 92