ROCHESTER, N.Y. — There’s an elephant in the room that grows larger by the day as the Ryder Cup nears, and that’s whether the LIV Golf players will be a part of the biennial competition.
Because some of the top U.S. players — such as Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson — are not members of the PGA Tour and playing on the LIV Tour, they’re not eligible to accumulate Ryder Cup points, so they would have to be captain’s picks.
And Wednesday, in his meeting with reporters in advance of this week’s PGA Championship at Oak Hill, U.S. captain Zach Johnson deftly tip-toed around the topic.
“I was talking about that just the other day with some of my vice captains [and] we’re at a point right now where it’s not even a discussion item,’’ Johnson said. “When it comes to picks, it’s not even on my radar.’’
Asked about Dustin Johnson, Zach Johnson said, “It’s difficult for me to judge that. I don’t know the golf courses they’re playing. You’re talking about an individual whose résumé is extremely deep and wide. He’s certainly in my generation one of the best players I’ve ever competed against, but it’s not fair for me to guess his true form or anybody’s true form that I can’t witness.’’
Asked about Koepka, Johnson said, “I haven’t really seen where he’s at since Augusta [where Koepka finished second]. He played really good that one week, but it’s one week. But there’s still a lot of golf between now and then.’’
For their part, both Dustin Johnson and Keopka said Wednesday they want to be a part of the Ryder Cup, which takes place at the end of September outside of Rome.
“I have no idea if I’d get picked,’’ Dustin Johnson said. “Obviously, if I continue to play really well for the rest of the year, then obviously there’s a chance. I would definitely like to play in the Ryder Cup. It’s one of my favorite events to play in, especially after the last Ryder Cup [a U.S. win]. I’d love to be a part of it.’’
Said Koepka: “It would be awesome to represent the United States, but I’m not focused on it. If I handle my business out here, everything will take care of itself. If you go handle business, I feel like I should be fine. But it’s not up to me. It’s up to Zach and what goes on. I just play my best and see what happens from there, but I would love to play for him.’’
For European captain Luke Donald, the LIV Golf issue seems more cut and dried, with several of the stalwarts of the European side having resigned their membership with the DP World Tour because of heavy financial sanctions levied on them for playing with LIV without permission.
Among the players who resigned are Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter, three of the winningest players in Ryder Cup history.
Henrik Stenson, who was originally named the 2023 Ryder Cup captain, had his title revoked when he joined LIV.
He, too, resigned his European Tour membership.
Donald said there has been no captains’ agreement between him and Johnson on whether LIV players should be allowed to play.
“I think that the team selections should be pretty separate,’’ he said. “I’m in charge of the European team and what’s best for us, and he’s in charge of the USA Team and what’s best for him. I think that’s just how it should be.
“It’s a shame that there were some resignations, [because] a lot of these guys have built their legacy around DP World Tour members and their participation and everything with the Ryder Cup. But ultimately that was their decision, and unfortunately they’re off the table now for selection purposes for myself.
“I think in terms of what Zach is doing and his options, I think that’s kind of his call. Whether LIV players play on his team, again, I haven’t really talked to him much about it as a captains’ agreement. And, let’s not forget there’s still LIV players that can still play on my team. They’re still eligible if they’re members of the Tour and were born in Europe. That is still a possibility for some guys.’’