Matt Wallace lists out the 'excuses' as to why he failed to make the 2018 Ryder Cup
Matt Wallace has yet to be a part of a Ryder Cup for Europe. He was shockingly passed over as a captain's selection in 2018 after winning three tournaments during the year leading up to the tournament. This year, he believes he's a good candidate for the team, but he took the chance to reflect on what was a surprising omission at the time.
He said via Golf Monthly:
"That missing out, especially when Dave McNeilly was caddying for me at the time. He was like, 'We're in.' He was telling me we're in so I obviously thought we'd get there and then couldn't really understand why we didn't, but now I look back and I go, 'OK, rookie, they went on to win, great win, having Sergio there, most points in the Ryder Cup,' those sorts of things."
He acknowledged that he has a better understanding now of why he didn't make it. Wallace didn't have a consistent experience against the world's best golfers, so it would have been a risk to add him to the team.
He added:
"Not saying I couldn't have done it but it would have been a risk, so I understand, and I missed the cut at the French Open that year. Those are the excuses as to why I didn't make the Ryder Cup."
The captain's selections and automatic qualifying won't happen for several more months, but Wallace is a strong candidate to break through and make his first Ryder Cup.
Matt Wallace confident if he is added to the Ryder Cup roster
Whether or not Matt Wallace is a qualifier or is added by captain's selection remains to be seen. However, if he does make it onto the team, he is supremely confident that he has what it takes.
The 2025 Ryder Cup is going to be held at Bethpage Black. It's a place Wallace has had some success at. He placed third the year the PGA Championship was held there in 2019, finishing behind Dustin Johnson who came second. He knows he would be equipped to do better this time.
He added via Golf Monthly:
"I will be a Ryder Cup rookie but I've played on the PGA Tour for five years now against the best players in the world. I've beaten a lot of them. I'm not scared. I'm up for the fight. I feel like I've got the mentality to deal with anything over there and, yeah, I just want to make it."
Matt Wallace hasn't yet played in a Ryder Cup, but he has a wealth of golf experience now to lean on if and when he is added to the European roster.