Despite a disappointing season on the PGA Tour, where he failed to reach the FedEx Cup Playoffs, Justin Thomas has been handed a wildcard by Team USA Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson.
While there has been plenty of debate over whether the two-time Major winner should make the team despite his poor form, scrutiny of his record demonstrates why Johnson has backed him to help the US retain the trophy at Marco Simone.
Thomas has made two Ryder Cup appearances, in 2018 and 2021. The first of those began well for him when he and Jordan Spieth struck what would become a familiar partnership to beat Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton in the Friday morning fourballs.
However, that joy was short-lived for the pair. In the afternoon foursomes they were defeated 5&4 by Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood in a dominant session for the Europeans.
Undeterred, the duo returned on Saturday morning to beat Ian Poulter and Jon Rahm 2&1 in the fourballs before claiming another win in the afternoon foursomes against Poulter and Rory McIlroy.
Thomas once again got the better of McIlroy in the Sunday singles to leave him with a hugely impressive 4–1–0 record in a match that was otherwise disappointing for Team USA as it lost by 17.5 to 10.5 points at France’s Le Golf National.
After qualifying automatically for the 2021 edition at Whistling Straits, Thomas and Spieth resumed their partnership for the Friday fourballs, but this time they came up short, with Rahm and Sergio Garcia winning 3&1.
There was an improvement in the afternoon, when Spieth and Thomas halved their fourballs match with Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland, and on Saturday it got even better as the pair finished 2up over Hovland and Bernd Weisberger in the morning foursomes.
Once again, Thomas claimed victory in his Sunday singles match, this time 4&3 against Tyrrell Hatton, leaving him with another solid record for his efforts, of 2-1-1.
Combined, Thomas’ Ryder Cup record stands at 6-2-1, so it’s hardly surprising there has been a clamour for his involvement in 2023, particularly as his trusty playing partner, Spieth, will likely make the team too.
For further evidence of Thomas' suitability to the format, you only need to look at his Presidents Cup record, which stands at 10-3-2.
The most impressive of his those three appearances came in 2022 where he finished 4-1-0. Once again, he did that with the help of Spieth, proving that when the two friends come together, it more often than not brings success.
Thomas may have some work to do to regain his best form on the PGA Tour, but where it comes to match play, he’s up there with some of the best. Johnson will hope he repays the faith he has put in him for the encounter in Rome. Given Thomas’ Ryder Cup record so far, he’ll have every confidence it will happen.
