“We’ll be ready to go”: Brooks Koepka ready to play the Ryder Cup if given the opportunity
Brooks Koepka recently stated that he will be ready to play in the 2023 Ryder Cup if he is chosen to represent Team USA.
There are only five months until the 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy, and the world of golf still doesn't know if Team USA captain Zach Johnson will select any LIV golfers among his picks. The 12-member teams comprise of six qualifiers and six picks, made by the captain.
According to Golf Digest, Brooks Koepka said:
"I have no idea [if we’ll be eligible] and it’s not up to me so I can’t make that decision. But if they choose us, we’ll be ready to go."
The Team USA captain is allowed to pick LIV golfers as they are technically eligible for consideration. PGA of America membership is required to play on the Ryder Cup team, and LIV Golf members already have associate memberships from playing on the PGA Tour previously.
Despite defecting to LIV, they retain their PGA of America memberships until July 2024 due to a grace period within the rules.
The relationship between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf is dicey, but the PGA of America hasn't disbarred LIV members.
Should Brooks Koepka and LIV Golf members be invited to the Ryder Cup?
Zach Johnson has a big decision to make. The Team USA captain has to decide of his own volition whether he wants to invite Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and the rest of their LIV Golf cohorts to the Ryder Cup.
The decision carries a lot of weight as Johnson would want the six best players to represent the US in the tournament.
The current automatic qualifiers are Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa, Cameron Young, Jordan Spieth, Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay. They are closely followed by Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele.
Johnson admitted that he doesn't know if including LIV members would be a good choice. He said:
“I don’t know what the conditions are like, probably don’t know what the golf courses are like. I mean, there’s competent players out there. But it’s hard to really decipher, I guess, what’s really going on. And frankly, I don’t know how they go about their work. I don’t really follow up much, but I might want to start.”
The fact that his team boasts a strong line-up even without including LIV golfers could make Johnson's decision easier.