“That was a no-brainer. The analytics would say no” – US Ryder Cup vice-captain Fred Couples on Justin Thomas’ controversial captains’ pick

US Ryder Cup vice-captain Fred Couples recently broke his silence over Justin Thomas being the captain's choice for the biennial tournament. Zach Johnson announced the final American Ryder Cup team earlier this week, and Thomas, a former champion of the PGA Championship, is on it.

The American golfer's form has been inconsistent over the past two months, and he even missed the top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings. His addition to the team angered fans, who felt that there were other golfers who should have been considered instead.

However, according to Fred Couples, who recently spoke on the Sirius XM PGA Tour, Thomas is the strongest candidate.

“I’ve got 50 texts today, why two or three guys aren’t on the team. And I don’t have an answer for that," he said. "The only answer I have is, this is the team, and the team has spoken. And if the team likes another guy a little bit better than that guy who didn’t win six tournaments and do all this, then, then no one has a problem with any of it."

"And I think the JT thing is the strongest pick. That was a no-brainer. The analytics would say no, the way he plays golf, said yes," he added.

Johnson has picked up Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Sam Burns, Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka, and Justin Thomas for the US Ryder Cup roster.

Justin Thomas' performances on the PGA Tour in 2023

Justin Thomas, who won the PGA Tour event last year, competed at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and was placed T25, a position he kept at the Farmers Insurance Open.

Thomas's next tournament was the WM Phoenix Open, where he finished in fourth place. After that, he competed in the Genesis Invitational Open and placed T20, and in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, he placed T21.

Thomas also played in all four Major tournaments, with the best finish recorded at the PGA Championship, when he tied for T65 place. In three additional majors, he failed to make the cut.

Here is the result of the tournament Justin Thomas played in 2023:

Sentry Tournament of Champions: T25
Farmers Insurance Open: T25
WM Phoenix Open: 4
The Genesis Invitational: T20
Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard: T21
THE PLAYERS Championship: T60
Valspar Championship: T10
Masters Tournament: CUT
RBC Heritage: T25
Wells Fargo Championship: T14
PGA Championship: T65
the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday: CUT
U.S. Open: CUT
Travelers Championship: T9
Rocket Mortgage Classic: CUT
Genesis Scottish Open: T60
The Open Championship: CUT
3M Open: CUT
Wyndham Championship: T12

Justin Thomas participated in two Ryder Cup competitions and was a member of the 2021 Ryder Cup champion American team. He made his tournament debut in 2018 and put on a remarkable showing. He participated in five matches, earning four victories and one defeat, for a total of four points.

In the nine games he participated in in 2021, he added 7.5 points to his team with six victories, one tie, and two losses.