Letter from Oak Hill: Hard line on LIV leaves Donald in tough spot for Ryder Cup

American captain Zach Johnson has a wide breadth of options, with marquee LIV golfers Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka expressing their strong desires to be included

AMBITIONS: Brooks Koepka plays his shot from the 12th tee during the first round of the US PGA Championship at Oak Hill. The American, who now plays on the LIV Tour, said ‘it would be awesome to represent the United States’ in September’s Ryder Cup. Pic: Michael Reaves/Getty Images

THE Ryder Cup in Italy remains four months away, but things already seems a little desperate for European captain Luke Donald.

Yesterday, American captain Zach Johnson was grilled about the breadth of his options, which include marquee LIV golfers Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka expressing their strong desires to be included in the Team USA contingent that goes to Marco Simone in September.

On the heels of the doors finally closing on European Ryder Cup veteran LIV golfers who resigned their DP World Tour membership (Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Henrik Stenson) or let their DP World stature lapse (Graham McDowell), Donald seems a little hamstrung as the teams start to take shape as the major season progresses.

“I think in terms of what Zach is doing and his options, I think that’s kind of his call,” Donald said before the PGA Championship started.

“Whether LIV players play on his team, again, I haven’t really talked to him much about it as a captains’ agreement.

“And let’s not forget there’s still LIV players that can play on my team. They’re still eligible if they’re members of the tour and were born in Europe. That is still a possibility for some guys.”

Donald is correct, of course, but that doesn’t exactly lift his options to the level of a couple of former world No 1s and multiple major winners like Johnson and Koepka. Thomas Pieters, Bernd Wiesberger and the serially injured Paul Casey don’t exactly elevate the roster to the same level should they choose to retain their membership and keep incurring fines for the next five LIV events before the Ryder Cup in September.

It’s a lot to lament for Team Europe trying to maintain a home winning streak dating back to the 1997 victory at Valderrama.

“It’s a shame that there were some resignations,” said Donald, who acquired his captaincy after Stenson signed with LIV Golf last year.

“A lot of these guys have built their legacy around DP World Tour membership and their participation and everything with the Ryder Cup. But ultimately that was their decision, and unfortunately they’re off the table now for selection purposes for myself.

“Probably some of this happening five months out is a little bit better than happening a few weeks out. It gives me a little bit more clarity of what I have to work with, and that can only be a good thing.”

Meanwhile, Johnson’s options keep expanding. The US captain will have six captain’s picks after his top six automatic qualifiers are locked in, and it’s fairly clear that 10 familiar players with international team experience — all currently ranked in the top 16 of the OWGR — are strong bets to be on the squad. That would leave room for two stalwarts like Johnson and Koepka to be added if the US captain — and his veteran vice captains — are so inclined to put aside differences with the rival league members. The Ryder Cup is affiliated with the PGA of America and not the PGA Tour.

Johnson said his decisions will come down to “chemistry and camaraderie” as well as the stats and styles suited to the venue. While he admits golfers playing on a separate tour make it more difficult to evaluate in person or analyse stats, he’s willing to listen to LIV players interested in playing for the US who can make a compelling case in the major opportunities they have.

“I’m an open book. They can call me,” Johnson said. “I’m not going to sit here and say that I’m shutting that down. I am fully in as the Ryder Cup captain for the Team USA and whatever that looks like.”

Dustin Johnson and Koepka — proven commodities — both emphatically threw their hats into the ring for potential inclusion. Neither has been vocally outspoken against (or sued) his former tour and still get on well with their peers.

“Yes, I would definitely like to play in the Ryder Cup. It’s just an awesome event, and yeah, I’d love to be a part of it,” said Johnson, who went 5-0 in his fifth Ryder Cup appearance in 2021 at Whistling Straits.

Said Koepka, who is 6-5-1 in three career Ryder Cups: “I mean, it would be awesome to represent the United States. If I handle my business out here, everything will take care of itself.”

Captain Johnson said that he is working on plans to take the entire US team to scout out and play the course in Rome in September, a reconnaissance/bonding mission he believes is essential to putting an end to the road losing streak.

“I made it a priority, and I’m very grateful that the powers that be at the PGA of America have granted me that liberty, in the sense that I’m taking the 12 guys that make my team to Rome … two and a half weeks prior to the event,” he said. “So that way … they get their feet on the grounds, experience Marco Simone firsthand.”

LIV Golf plays an event in Chicago at Rich Harvest Farms the weekend before the Ryder Cup, which could factor into the team’s travel plans should any LIV golfer be invited. But it wouldn’t seem to be disqualifying.

Unlike the European side which has been more about disqualifying than qualifying thus far. The current rules have shattered the lineage of future captains for Europe, though 2021 captain Pádraig Harrington doesn’t write anything off.

“You got to understand that rules are very fluid and it’s not like they haven’t been changed in the past,” Harrington said. “I have no idea what’s going to happen. I’m a little bit out of that loop. But rules can be changed.”

Should the US team enhance its strength by drawing from the rival tour — presenting a prominent olive branch in golf’s ongoing rift — it could be in Europe’s best interest to reconsider its hard line for the future of the biennial matches.