Brooks Koepka has claimed that there is little or no animosity among those who remain on the PGA Tour since he moved to LIV Golf.
He said, “I’ve never seen anyone angry with anybody,” before the Masters. He went on to tie for the second place at Augusta National. Koepka’s hostility toward Max Homa, Xander Schauffele and the 2023 BMW Championship would be understandable after Sunday’s final race.
Koepka’s PGA Championship win earlier this year earned him one of the six automatic spots for the U.S. Ryder Cup squad bound for Italy in the next month. The only LIV golfer with a realistic chance of making the Ryder Cup team all summer was Koepka. But his hopes changed over the weekend in Olympia Fields, outside Chicago. After the BMW, there were scenarios where ten different players could punch their Ryder Cup ticket. Koepka had clung to fifth place, but when the final putt fell he was knocked out of the top six.
Max Homa had to shoot a T-9 in both directions and Xander Schnauffele had to shoot a T-9 solo for Koepka’s demise. Homa came in at T-5, while Schauffele was just two shots behind him at T-8.
Zach Johnson will announce his captain’s selections in eight days. Will he keep the No. Will he leave the No. Anyone else from the LIV team have a good case for a selection?
Koepka is the first to be considered. The 32-year old is still No. The 32-year-old is still No. 13 in the world, after winning his fifth major earlier this year. Also, he finished T-17 in the U.S. Open. Koepka’s five LIV appearances since his PGA victory have seen him finish T-12, 3,T-17,T-38, and T-38. Koepka has a 6-5-1 Ryder Cup record in three previous appearances, including a 2-0-1 Sunday singles record.
Koepka showed this year that he can still compete with anyone, even on the biggest stage, when he is healthy. Can Johnson leave a player of that caliber and mentality off a team , which already has three rookies? The squad will be trying to win in foreign soil for 30 years.
Bryson deChambeau has also recently been the subject of some chatter. He considers himself a top-10 golfer, but admits he’s never heard from Johnson. The bulked up bomber shot a 58 at LIV Golf Greenbrier to win the tournament. His T-20 at the U.S. Open was also impressive. He is now ranked 113th on the OWGR. Is a few good performances in the wake of a number of bad ones with LIV enough to get him on the team?
After their previous beef he’d make a funny pick for Koepka. He has a 2-3-2 record in his two previous appearances. DeChambeau appears to have found a new element in his game, and is moving in the right direction. DeChambeau’s game is improving and he appears to be on the right track.
Talor Gooch, who has three victories this year, is having the second best season on LIV. However the 31-year old was pedestrian at the majors as he missed two cuts at both the PGA Championship & Open and finished T-34 at The Masters. Patrick Reed is no longer Captain America, and Dustin Johnson, who can still play at a high level, has not been his best in this season.
Two players have a shot that is debatable and one player has to decide if LIV will be represented in Italy.
