Six down, six to go. Does Brooks Koepka make the cut?
The 2023 PGA Championship winner and LIV Golf standout is ranked 45th in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings13. i Official World Golf Ranking and perhaps most importantly, seventh i US Ryder Cup standings.
Only the top six earn an automatic qualifying spot, and it was only recently that Koepka dropped to No. 7. Still, writes Tom D’Angelo Palm Beach PostKoepka’s inclusion in the 12-man squad scheduled to travel to Rome in September should be a no-brainer.
He notes that U.S. captain Zach Johnson has some tough decisions to make, but this shouldn’t be one of them.
This should not be about LIV Golf or Saudi Arabia. It should be about what is best for this team.
And having Koepka on the team is best for the US
Koepka is arguably one of the top 12 American golfers in the world, a fact so obvious it feels silly to point out. And adding the Jupiter resident to this team wouldn’t disrupt the chemistry. He would not be alienated or shunned by his peers. This would not be Brooks playing the role of Phil Mickelson and the rest of the team playing the role of Tiger Woods in 2004.
Just the opposite. He would be welcomed.
He writes that if there was a player draft, only Scottie Scheffler would be taken before Koepka.
Koepka is one of three Americans to win a major in 2023. He finished second at the Masters, tied for 17th at the US Open and tied for 64th at the Open Championship. Those were Koepka’s only chances to earn Ryder Cup points.