Zach Johnson Explains Why Dustin Johnson Didn’t Make the Ryder Cup Team

Zach Johnson’s response to why Dustin Johnson was not considered for the U.S. Ryder Cup Team was interesting, to say the least.

DJ was ranked 40th on the U.S. Ryder Cup Standings at the time of the team selection earlier this week when Captain Zach Johnson made his six picks. DJ was not selected, and while there may have been several names in LIV Golf that could be argued as stronger selections, like Bryson DeChambeau for example, DJ may have been more deserving than other names that made the team based on 2023 performance alone.

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Zach Johnson said a few weeks ago that it would be tough to choose LIV Players for the Ryder Cup Team because he does not get to watch them play as regularly.

Of course, LIV Golf consists of 54-hole tournaments that span over three days instead of four. They also play significantly fewer events than the PGA Tour.

Zach Johnson said:

“I love DJ. He’s a dear friend. Obviously, a stud when it comes to playing in competitions. Through & through, his record speaks for itself. You know, it was one of those situations where it’s hard to gather form. It’s hard to see how guys are doing when they’re not competing against these guys that earned their way in the team in particular. The way I see it, all the guys that do not play on the PGA Tour had an opportunity to earn their way, or at least be in the realm of complete discussion, and Brooks Koepka put himself in that position with his play.”

However, based on the Majors, Koepka is not the only one to deserve some mention here. Koepka walked away from the field with the Wannamaker Trophy at the 2023 PGA Championship, effectively giving him an automatic spot, although he just fell short of one.

DJ may not have won a Major this year, and his performance in the four Majors was far from what we may expect from him typically. However, he made three of the four cuts and managed to take home a Top 10 at the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. Johnson also won a LIV event in May in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Zach Johnson said the following about Dustin Johnson:

“I love DJ. He’s a dear friend. Obviously, a stud when it comes to playing in competitions. Through & through, his record speaks for itself. You know, it was one of those situations where it’s hard to gather form.”

DJ’s…

— Lou Stagner (Golf Stat Pro) (@LouStagner) August 30, 2023

Meanwhile, Justin Thomas, who is arguably the most controversial pick of them all, missed the cut in three of the four Majors, and only mustered up a handful of Top 10s in his 20 events played on the PGA Tour.

Based on performance in Majors alone, do you think that Dustin Johnson deserved a Ryder Cup spot more than players that made the team?

Cover Image via Sports Illustrated