FRISCO — U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson officially announced his picks for the 12-man tournament team during a press conference on Tuesday morning at the PGA of America headquarters in Frisco.
Six spots had already been filled by automatic qualifiers who led the field in the Ryder Cup U.S. Points Rankings, but the captain selected the remaining participants.
“To say I’m excited about these gents would be an understatement,” Johnson said. “They check all the boxes — fierce competitors, great versatility, great flexibility when it comes to pairings — [and] when it comes to fit for Marco Simone, a great fit for each other, which is massive.”
Johnson selected Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns, and Dallas native Jordan Spieth to join Dallas native and world No.1 Scottie Scheffler, U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark, Open Championship winner Brian Harman, Max Homa, former FedEx Cup champion Patrick Cantlay, and Xander Schaufele.
Eight players on the U.S. team have participated in at least one Ryder Cup in the past, while Clark, Harman, Homa, and Burns will be playing in the event for the first time.
“I think, for me personally, there’s no higher honor than to represent your country [and] to be a part of this Ryder Cup [and] team up alongside these world-class players and guys,” Burns told the media during Tuesday’s press conference. “I’m extremely, extremely excited.”
“I definitely dreamed it many, many times,” he added. “As a kid, you watch the Ryder Cup, and you always have this idea in the back of your head that you want to be a part of that, and you want to experience that one day. So it’s very surreal.”
Johnson’s selection of Thomas has drawn some criticism, as others eligible for the team played much better this season. However, the captain is confident the veteran will pull through.
“He has, without question, been the heart and soul of Team USA Ryder Cups,” Johnson explained. “[He’s been our] emotional leader, I would say, and I don’t think he would argue with that. He just leads by example [and has an] overall fantastic Ryder Cup record. His passion for the Ryder Cup is very evident. In my mind, he was born for this, and you just don’t leave JT at home.”
The U.S. Ryder Cup team will face the European Ryder Cup team, which has not lost a Ryder Cup in Europe since 1993. This year’s known European participants are John Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Viktor Hovland, Tyrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, and team captain Luke Donald.
Donald is expected to announce his six captain’s picks next Monday.
The United States won the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wisconsin.
The 2023 Ryder Cup will be played at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy, from September 25 through October 1.