"If I'm Zach I'm trying to find a way to put him on the team" - Justin Thomas gets Taylor Zarzour’s backing to fly to Rome with Team USA in Ryder Cup
Justin Thomas had a rather promising start to his 2023 PGA Tour campaign, but things have slipped as the season has gone by. Thomas had a fourth-place finish at the Phoenix Open and then missed cuts at three Majors.
Along with his performances this year, the 30-year-old's chances of making the Ryder Cup team have also slipped drastically. The debate on whether Justin Thomas should make the US Ryder Cup Team has been a rather long one.
Given his previous experience, many are putting him up as a captain's pick. However, his performance over the last few months has been rather underwhelming.
Taylor Zarzour from PGA Tour Radio SiriusXM recently said that team captain Zach Johnson needs to find a place for Justin Thomas in the team.
"If I am Zach Johnson I'm trying to find a way to put him on the team because of what I've seen in the past, and because he just showed me something," he wrote on Twitter.
Zarzour also spoke about the pressures that come with playing at the Ryder Cup and the kind of experience required to handle the pressure.
"You can look at certain players and say 'do you think that guy who's never faced catcalls before is going to handle playing in Rome, Italy, in a raucous environment?' Its a place where everybody is cheering for you to miss a three foot putt and your hands aren't going to shake you will be unflappable and you're going to execute."
Taylor Zarzour sees Justin Thomas' potential despite disappointing season
Justin Thomas finished T12 at the Wyndham Championship, which is a significant improvement over his missed cut at last week's 3M Open. Thomas' eagerness to make the Ryder Cup team is visible and Zarzour finds potential in that, as he said:
"I've seen Justin Thomas do it before folks. I've seen him do it on the road and do it at home. Yes, he has not a good year but he showed me something this past week. He finished 1 point or 1 spot out of the [FedEx Cup] play-offs."
However, the competition for the 12-man team is strong. Scottie Scheffler and Wyndham Clark have confirmed their places on the team. Meanwhile, Brooks Koepka, Brian Harman, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay will take up the remaining automatic qualification spots.
Amongst the captain's picks, Max Homa, Cameron Young and Keegan Bradley are the names that are in contention to make the team.