ORLANDO — While a pandemic may have altered the selection process for the United States Ryder Cup team, it is keeping the system in place.
Seth Waugh, the CEO of PGA of America, and John Lindert, the current president of the PGA Show, stated this week that Zach Johnson will be the current captain of the United States. The Americans are trying to end a 30-year drought abroad in the 44th edition of Marco Simone Golf & Country Club. It’s highly unlikely that the system will ever return to pre-pandemic levels.
Prior to 2008, captains had only two captain’s picks. The other 10 were chosen automatically through a points system. This increased to four captain’s selections under Paul Azinger in 2008, and then to six captain’s choices for Steve Stricker in 2021 because of COVID concerns.
The results speak volumes. Stricker led the Americans in a 19-9 victory at Whistling Straits. This was the largest margin of victory since 1979, when all of Europe joined Ryder Cup. The United States has won two of the three last matches after two decades of being beaten by Europe.
Lindert and Waugh stated that there is no discussion about ever returning to having fewer captain’s picks.
“The Ryder Cup feedback, it was very positive to have the captain be permitted to have six captains picks for various reasons and some that were not even considered,” Lindert, who along with Waugh, is a member the Ryder Cup committee. “The two who were picked somewhat, rather than the two that were chosen, didn’t feel inclusive, because they were the two.”
“With six players, it’s a 50-50 team. This allows for more inclusion and the captain can build a team.
Julius Mason, President of the PGA of America and Seth Waugh, CEO, address the PGA Show in Orlando. (Photo by Tim Schmitt/Golfweek).
Johnson, 46, was named captain of Team USA’s 2023 Ryder Cup. Johnson played in five Ryder Cups (8-7-2 record), and four Presidents Cups (10-6-1 record). He was also an assistant captain during the previous two editions. He will be Team USA’s 30th captain.
Waugh stated that future captains will be more attracted to the job if there are additional selections.
“Really, six were created because of COVID. We don’t know how many players will be playing or how long the season will last. To give the captain the most flexibility, he will put the best team on the pitch. He said that they enjoyed it. According to many captains, telling the 13th person they weren’t on the team is the most difficult thing. Six choices means you can make six happy calls. However, it might seem like you are making more unhappy calls than you should because you may have to call 13-15 or something.
They are all competitors who want win. We think that this gives them the best chance to win — to create the best team.
The six automatic qualifiers for U.S. team were Scottie Scheffler (Will Zalatoris), Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa and Cameron Young as of January 26, 2023. Due to his connections with LIV Golf, it is not known if Dustin Johnson (currently seventh on this list) would be eligible for this event.
