Brooks Koepka and Zach Johnson were pictured playing a practice round together ahead of the Open Championship in a potential sign that the US Ryder Cup captain will select the LIV Golfer for the US team.
Koepka has enjoyed a hugely successful Major season, with the American bouncing back from his second-place finish at the Masters in April to win his fifth Major with a two-shot victory at the PGA Championship in May.
The five-time Major champion failed to contend at last month’s US Open - finishing T17 - but the performances have left many calling for his inclusion in September’s Ryder Cup at Marco Simone.
And despite not earning Ryder Cup points for LIV Golf events, the World No. 12 is currently sitting third in the US points list, only behind World No.1, Scottie Scheffler and last month’s US Open champion, Wyndham Clark.
If Koepka were to stay in the top six positions, he would automatically qualify for his fourth Ryder Cup but, if not, he may be reliant upon one of Johnson’s six captain’s picks. With that in mind, Monday’s practice round certainly would appear to suggest that Koepka is firmly in Johnson’s consideration.
"It was fun, we got to talk about it [the Ryder Cup] a little bit and what's going on, I guess how the team's shaping up - it's interesting," Koepka said about his practice round with Johnson at a pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday.
"It was just hearing his perspective and all the stuff he's got to do. The PGA of America does a really good job in easing it for him, and just kind of talking about the preparation for it, what our team is going to do, where are we going to be, and just a little bit more about the shuffle of guys and the stuff they have kind of behind the scenes stats, stuff like that. It's quite interesting just hearing about it all."
It marks a significant change in tone from the 2015 Open champion who had suggested, back in May, that LIV golfers making his Ryder Cup team was “not even on my radar.”
“We’re at a point right now where it’s not even a discussion item,” he went on to say. "There’s maybe a couple guys that have come close to securing their spot in the top six, but when it comes to picks it’s not even on my radar, especially given how many points are still out there, whether you’re talking about major championships or elevated events or all of the above."
Earlier this month, Johnson cooled his tone, praising Koepka’s “extremely impressive” Major run while also suggesting that LIV Golfers can “technically still be a part of Team USA."
It remains to be seen if Johnson would elect to pick another LIV star given their current position in the rankings. After Koepka, the next highest is Phil Mickelson who sits 33rd in the rankings.
Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau, who were both part of the victorious 2021 team, sit 35th and 46th respectively while Talor Gooch, who has won three times on the LIV circuit this year, sits 86th.
