“Is this the Ryder Cup team or a JP Morgan Jr Asset Manager's Retreat?” - Golf fans react to Team USA’s coordinated Ryder Cup group photo
The much-awaited Ryder Cup is just a few days away, and Team USA have arrived at the Marco Simone in Rome for the event. The entire team took a flight along with their wives/girlfriends and posed for a picture just outside their aircraft.
The picture was later uploaded by the PGA Tour X (formerly Twitter) page. Interestingly, the golfers were standing in a highly coordinated manner, with their wives/girlfriends next to them. The picture soon went viral on social media and many interesting reactions started to pour in.
The Ryder Cup team was criticized online by some for their coordinated picture, with various jokes being made at their expense. Some users also pointed out the hierarchy involved in the picture, with a few players hidden at the back.
One user likened Team USA's pose to JP Morgan's asset manager's retreat due to the rigid structure in the picture. Interestingly, many comments questioned Brooks Koepka's absence from the picture, which was later clarified by captain Zach Johnson.
Zach Johnson explains the omission of Bryson DeChambeau from the Ryder Cup
Bryson DeChambeau is a talented golfer who has previously been a part of the Ryder Cup. This year, the American professional, ranked 54th on the point list, didn't qualify automatically for the Ryder Cup shortlist. He was later omitted from the team by captain Zach Johnson, resulting in a controversy.
DeChambeau believes he should have been called for the tournament, and he recently expressed his discontent. Johnson took note of DeChambeau's comments and quickly explained his decision to not select the former PGA Tour winner.
“I can answer all of those in a very simple manner," Zach Johnson said at the captain's press conference on Monday. “We have a points system within the PGA of America, within the Ryder Cup USA. It's pretty evident how you garner points and which tournaments can accumulate points. I basically, you know, I kept at one point … my own probably top 30, but when it got down towards the end of the process, it was the top 20, the top 25 guys in that point system that I felt like had the merit and certainly, well, should have my full attention."
Team USA will be looking to make it a double against Team Europe this time around. However, they have not won away from home in a long time.