Zach Johnson: LIV golfers can play for USA at Ryder Cup

US Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson has hinted that he will select LIV golfers for his team this September.

Before the PGA Championship, the 47-year-old admitted that the prospect of those players featuring in Rome was “not even a discussion item.”

But Johnson has now acknowledged that LIV golfers are eligible to make his team of 12 for the biennial battle with Europe.

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He said: “These guys that left the PGA TOUR that had status and left to play on that other tour, the LIV Tour, they’re still members of the PGA of America, so they are still able to garner points.

“They’re able to play in the PGA Championship as a result, because that’s what the PGA of America runs.

“(They) obviously, technically, can still be a part of Team USA.”

After defecting to LIV Golf, players were suspended indefinitely by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, meaning they could only pick up qualification points at major championships.

The biggest beneficiary of that has been Brooks Koepka, who won the PGA Championship after finishing tied for second place at the Masters.

Koepka has held on to a strong position in the world rankings thanks to those performances, while his place on the Ryder Cup points list has been noticed by Johnson.

He added: “Brooks is third on the list. The top six earn their berth after the BMW.

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“We’ll formulate 12 by then, but he has worked his way to second after the PGA Championship because of how well he played at the Masters and the PGA Championship.

“He is third now after Wyndham Clark has had a nice little run. He has a really good chance of making the team, earning his way on the team, which is extremely impressive.”

As of now, Koepka appears to be the only LIV golfer in concrete plans for the Ryder Cup, while Talor Gooch has been a name widely mentioned to claim a spot.

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.