U.S. captain Zach Johnson doesn’t rule out LIV golfers for Ryder Cup
LIV Golf players might be allowed on the U.S. Ryder Cup team this fall, according to captain Zach Johnson.
“No decisions have been made,” Johnson said, speaking Wednesday at the TPC Louisiana in suburban New Orleans, where he is competing in the Zurich Classic.
“There’s still a lot of time left in that regard, and so many fluid factors involved,” he said. “As far as personally making decisions, no.”
A number of the world’s notable players left the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour (formerly known as the European Tour) last year to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League. There has been no announcement of whether LIV players would be allowed to participate for the European team.
Among the U.S. players competing in LIV Golf are Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson and Phil Mickelson.
This year’s Ryder Cup will be held Sept. 25 to Oct. 1 at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome. The U.S. team will be made up of six players who qualify through a points system and six players who are chosen by the team captain.
The U.S. players currently occupying the top six spots in the point standings are (in order): Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa, Cameron Young, Jordan Spieth, Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay.
Regarding the selection of the remainder of the U.S. team, Johnson said, “I’m going to rely heavily on the guys that actually make the team because it’s their team.
“So I don’t know who those six are going to be, obviously, but their ownership and their opinions will weigh heavily into what I, what we, decide to do.”
Johnson left open the possibility that LIV players may be part of the U.S. squad in Rome.
“Those individuals that have left the PGA Tour, to my knowledge, are still members of PGA of America,” he said. “There’s a grace period involved there. I don’t know the specifics.”
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