Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson have set their sights on making the American Ryder Cup team despite both being banned from the PGA Tour following their moves to LIV Golf.
Koepka and Johnson became two of the biggest names to join LIV last summer, both receiving lucrative signing-on fees to join the Saudi-backed series. Their switch came at a cost though, as it led to the end of their careers on the PGA Tour, after commissioner Jay Monahan suspended any player making the move to LIV.
This has no doubt left American Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson with a problem or two, after a number of players from the States' record-breaking winning side of 2021 have since made the Saudi switch.
Bryson DeChambeau, Johnson and Koepka are three members of the class of 2021 who now play their golf on the LIV circuit, with Ryder Cup stalwarts such as Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson also part of the breakaway league. Their suspension from the Tour means the LIV quota are unable to earn qualification points to make the US team.
And with tension between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour still high, it seems unlikely that Johnson would sway to pick rebel players in his six captain's selection spots. Despite the slim chances, America's trailblazer at the 2021 event, Johnson has not given up hope of competing in Rome.
Per the Sydney Morning Herald, the 4Aces captain said: "I would love to, absolutely, It’s something I’ve always enjoyed playing and in the last Ryder Cup I played pretty well. It’s one of my favourite events to play in. I’d love to [do it again].
"If I play well for the rest of the year, hopefully I’ll get a consideration.” his former Ryder Cup teammate and fellow LIV star Koepka also shares the same hope. "I have no idea [if we’ll be eligible] and it’s not up to me so I can’t make that decision. But if they choose us, we’ll be ready to go," the four-time major champion added.
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Whilst chances seem slim, skipper Johnson refused to rule out the chance of LIV Golf stars being involved at Marco Simone come September. Speaking at last week's Zurich Classic, he said: "No decisions have been made.
"There's still a lot of time left in that regard, and so many fluid factors involved. As far as personally making decisions, no. Those individuals that have left the PGA Tour, to my knowledge, are still members of PGA of America. There's a grace period involved there. I don't know the specifics."
