“We want Brooks Koepka to play for Team USA” – Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson claims Koepka has the whole team's support despite speculations
The US Ryder Cup team captain picked up Brooks Koepka in his team for the upcoming tournament. The choice was pretty obvious as Koepka has been in excellent form and also won a Major this year.
However, his connection with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf brought a lot of criticism his way with most of the PGA Tour pros speaking against the players who defected Tour to play with LIV.
However, Johnson confessed in his interview with Associate Press on Friday that the American team is excited to play with Koepka at the Ryder Cup even though he plays for the Saudi circuit.
Johnson said about Koepka:
"The only thing that was said about Brooks with the guys - specifically the top six that made the team on their own merit - was, 'We want Brooks Koepka to play for Team USA,'"
He went on to talk about the Ryder Cup venue, stating:
"The common sentiments that I heard on the golf course was they really liked it, which is awesome, and I knew they would because Marco Simone is very, very good.
"The rough was very thick. That was the other nugget that we talked about a lot. The putting greens were very good, very true, very nice. The fairways were awesome. It's a great test and it's a really, really good matchplay golf course. So the guys are excited about the competition."
The 2023 Ryder Cup is slated to take place from September 29 to October 1 at the Marco Simone Golf Course in Rome.
This year Scottie Scheffler, Brian Harman, Wyndham Clark, Max Homa, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa, and Sam Burns will play for the American team.
"His resume speaks for itself"- Greg Norman praises Brooks Koepka for securing a spot in the USA Ryder Cup team
LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman appreciated Brooks Koepka after he secured a spot in the US Ryder Cup team.
The Australian golfer congratulated his league member saying that his resume speaks for him and he deserves the spot in the team.
Norman said (via the LIV Golf):
"Congratulations to Brooks Koepka on a well-deserved honor representing Team USA. His résumé speaks for itself, and his status among the sport’s fiercest competitors is unquestioned. Brooks’ will to win shines brightest on golf’s biggest stages and it will be exciting to watch him compete in Rome.”
Brooks Koepka has been phenomenal with his game throughout the year. He finished second at the Masters earlier in April and then went on to win the PGA Championship. He also won the LIV Golf Orlando.
Koepka is the only LIV golfer who will play at the Ryder Cup this year.