Of the many uncertainties to come out of this month’s announcement that the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund plan to join forces, whether it might make it easier for LIV players to compete in this September’s Ryder Cup is one of the most curious.
Shortly after the deal was announced, DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley said logistics would make it unlikely those who resigned their membership after bolting for LIV could play on the European team in Rome, as there wouldn’t be time for the defectors to reapply for DP World Tour membership, serve suspensions and pay fines.
On the United States side, however, the prospect of a LIV player making the team is more likely. Eligibility for the US team is based on PGA of America membership, separate from players’ status with the PGA Tour, meaning LIV players can accumulate points to qualify for the team. The trick is that the only events they’re playing that offer Ryder Cup points are majors.
Off his PGA Championship win last month, Brooks Koepka currently sits second in US team rankings, with the top six players as of August 20 earning automatic spots on the team. Meanwhile, Bryson DeChambeau, a member of the victorious 2021 team at Whistling Straits, sits 47th on the list, but the former US Open champion he is hopeful that his top five at the PGA and solid play this week at Los Angeles Country Club are catching Zach Johnson’s eye for a possible captain’s pick.
After a third-round 68 has DeChambeau starting Sunday at three under in a tie for ninth, he told Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard that he believes the announced agreement between the formerly duelling parties improves his chances of making the US team.
“I think [the door] is open a lot more,” DeChambeau told Hoggard. “I hope that [Johnson] picks the best players from the country. That’s the most important thing is playing for the country.”
According to Hoggard, DeChambeau spoke with Johnson after last month’s PGA and is optimistic the LIV players will be given fair consideration.
“I think Brooks is already qualified, and I think he’s already on the team,” DeChambeau said, referring to Koepka’s status on the team points list. “If my game continues to improve, and I play well in another major and play well in some LIV events, I hope [Johnson] considers some of those guys. It’d be nice to consider me.”
Should DeChambeau fail to move into the top six on the US points list by the August 20 deadline, he would need to be one of Team USA’s six captain’s picks, which Johnson will announce following the Tour Championship in late August.
The Ryder Cup begins September 29 in Rome, where the Americans will look to defend and win their first cup on foreign soil since 1993.
