During a press conference ahead of the Zurich Classic, U.S. Ryder Cup team captain Zach Johnson didn’t close the door on LIV golfers being part of his squad.
“No decisions have been made,” said Johnson, speaking Wednesday, alongside European captain Luke Donald. Both team captains are in the field this week at TPC Louisiana.
“There’s still a lot of time left in that regard, and so many fluid factors involved.”
Among the U.S. players competing in the LIV Golf league, several have been members of the two most recent U.S. Ryder Cup teams, including Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed, and Phil Mickelson.
The 2023 Ryder Cup matches will be contested at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Sept. 25 to Oct. 1. The U.S. team will be comprised of six players who qualify through a points system and six players who are chosen by the team captain.
Johnson said he’ll rely on input from the “guys that actually make the team because it’s their team.” But left open the possibility that a LIV player or two could be part of the U.S. team in Rome.
“Those individuals that have left the PGA Tour, to my knowledge, are still members of PGA of America,” said Johnson. “There’s a grace period involved there. I don’t know the specifics.”
(Dustin) Johnson, who won LIV Golf’s individual title in 2022, and Koepka, the runner up at this year’s Masters, would be the most likely LIV players added.
