


Brooks Koepka’s Ryder Cup fate rests with Zach Johnson.
Koepka missed the automatic qualifying cutoff for the Ryder Cup and now can only make the team if selected on Aug. 29 as one of the six captain’s picks by Johnson, the team captain.
While Koepka is one of the top players in the world, it’s possible he could be shunned due to his association with LIV Golf.
“There hasn’t been much communication, if I’m going to be fully transparent,” Johnson said on the Aug. 16 “Subpar” podcast of his dealings with LIV golfers. “It’s hard because I’m not able to witness what they’re doing and see their form, with the exception of three or four weeks a year.
“What Brooks has done this year, well no one’s surprised but is remarkable … I’m just glad he’s healthy … He’s a stud.”
Koepka, a five-time major champion, just missed the top-six automatic qualifier after falling to seventh in Ryder Cup points on Sunday.
He had been sitting in fifth entering this past weekend’s BMW Championship, but Max Homa finishing fifth and Xander Schauffele finishing eighth pushed the two past the LIV defector.
Koepka now sits in seventh, landing him in the territory where he must be selected by Johnson to qualify for the team.
Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay, Homa and Schauffele each earned an automatic spot for their top-six finishes, in that respective order.
Koepka did not have as many opportunities as others to earn Ryder Cup points due to his association with LIV Golf since those events do not qualify for the standings.
The 33-year-old built his ledger for this year’s Ryder Cup by finishing second at the Masters and winning the PGA Championship in May.
Bryson DeChambeau, who also fared well in the majors this season, is another LIV golfer who could be considered for the Ryder Cup team.

The Ryder Cup will take place from Sept. 29 through Oct. 1 at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Italy.
Johnson acknowledged on the “Subpar” podcast he’ll have both easy and tough phone calls to make after he uses his six captain’s picks to round out the squad.
Time will tell which category the call to Koepka falls under.
“You’re talking (about) the absolute reality of my position. I know that’s going to be the very difficult side of things but I know that’s what I signed up for. That’s part of it,” Johnson said. “The onus goes on me. I’m going to make a lot of guys happy and appease a lot of guys, and I’m going to make some very upset.”