Brooks Koepka Was Unanimously Wanted on the U.S. Ryder Cup Team by the Top Six

A lot has been made of whether a LIV Golfer would make the United States Ryder Cup Team due to the controversy surrounding the Saudi-backed golf league. However, it was clear that where someone plays was not important to the Top Six Automatic Qualifiers, they wanted the best team possible.

Enter Brooks Koepka, who was unanimously wanted on the team by the Top Six. This is according to Zach Johnson, who reserves the Captaincy for the U.S. Team as they head to Europe for this year’s tournament in Rome, Italy.

Johnson said (according to the AP):

“The only thing that was said about Brooks with the guys — specifically the top six that made the team on their own merit — was, ‘We want Brooks Koepka to play for Team USA.'”

Kopeka’s placement just outside the Top Six was enough for the automatic qualifiers to request his presence on the team. Koepka had just barely fallen out of an automatic spot as the FedEx Cup Playoffs had rounded out. He was roughly $30,000 in winnings away from an automatic spot despite not playing a single PGA Tour Event this year.

Despite reports of Koepka’s potential regrets of joining LIV, his triumph at Oak Hill and the PGA Championship was enough for the five-time Major Champion to earn a spot not only from his peers but from the Captain of the U.S. Team.

🚨🇺🇸👀 #NEW: Zach Johnson was asked about the involvement of a LIV golfer being on the team: “The only thing that was said about Brooks with the guys — specifically the top six that made the team on their own merit — was, ‘We want Brooks Koepka to play for Team USA’. (Via The… pic.twitter.com/M9mSZhSOVF

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) September 9, 2023

Kopeka was also present on the 2021 Ryder Cup Team that whomped the Europeans 19-9 at Whistling Straits. Koepka played 2-2-0 that weekend, earning two points for the Americans and giving them what was their largest victory since 1967 when they won 23.5-8.5.

Cover Image via Golf Digest