The 2023 Ryder Cup is just a few months away, and the talk is heating up about which players will make the cut for Team USA. Among the hot topics of discussion is the prospect of LIV players being included on the team, despite resigning from the PGA Tour last year to join the Saudi-funded circuit.
While six players will automatically qualify for Team USA, players who resigned from the DP World Tour are no longer eligible to represent Team Europe in the biennial contest. However, American players can still feature even if they’re banned or resigned from the PGA Tour for joining LIV.
Brooks Koepka, currently ranked 22nd, is the highest-ranked LIV player in the qualification standings. He earned points with his tied-second finish at The Masters last month, but many other LIV players could still earn qualification points at the PGA Championship this week.
Despite this, Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson is playing down the possibility of LIV players featuring for Team USA this September, admitting the prospect is currently “not even a discussion item”. Although he has six wildcard selections to complete his side, Johnson says he is not considering LIV players for his final line-up at this time.
When asked if he was considering having LIV players on his team for the Ryder Cup, Johnson said in his pre-tournament press conference at Oak Hill: “We’re at a point right now where it’s not even a discussion item. There’s maybe a couple of guys that have come close to securing their spot in the top six but, when it comes to picks, it’s not even on my radar.”
While players like Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Patrick Reed could theoretically still play their way into an automatic qualification spot, it will be challenging. LIV players will only be able to accumulate points in the final three majors of the year, making it difficult to catch up with other players who have been accruing points all season.
Despite this, Dustin Johnson, who won the LIV event in Tulsa on Sunday, said he would love to play for Team USA this year, even though he is part of LIV Golf. “The way I see it is, every guy that wants to make the US Ryder Cup team should try to make the top six,” he said. “However that looks, you’ve got to play good and earn your way onto that team.”
While it may be premature to consider LIV players for the Ryder Cup team at this point, there is no doubt that they will be making waves in the golf world in the coming years. The Saudi-backed league is continuing to grow and attract top players, and it remains to be seen what impact it will ultimately have on the sport as a whole.
For now, however, all eyes are on the PGA Championship and the run-up to the Ryder Cup. With so many talented players vying for a spot on Team USA, it’s sure to be an exciting few months leading up to one of the most anticipated events in golf.
