“Not on my radar right now,” Zach Johnson’s SCATHING remark foretells bleak Ryder Cup future for LIV Golfer Brooks Koepka

LIV Golfer Brooks Koepka has lost his chance to get automatically selected into Ryder Cup 2023 following Viktor Hovland’s BMW Championship win. His fate now lies in the hands of US Team captain Zach Johnson, who has yet to announce the final picks for the event.

By next week the LIV Golfer has to occupy a spot for the Ryder Cup team if he’s to maintain his 4th consecutive appearance. Following his defection from PGA Tour in 2022, Koepka along with several other top golfers lost the chance to participate in Ryder Cup. The only way for the 54-hole circuit players to join the competition is to achieve top results in golf’s four major events.

So far, Brooks Koepka has maintained his impressive portfolio in 2023. He tied for 2nd for The Masters, got crowned with the 5th Major Championship title, notched 17th place at the U.S. Open, and tied his season with the 64th spot in The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.

Despite performing top-notch in four major championships, he failed to earn his automatic qualification as BMW Championship wrapped up on Sunday. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson stated earlier at a press conference, “It’s not on my radar right now”.

Related: “I’m glad he’s in my Ryder Cup team,” Rory McIlroy’s JOYOUS nod to Viktor Hovland’s victory encapsulates golf’s spirited unity and prowess

Brandel Chamblee blasts Brooks Koepka stating LIV Golfer shouldn’t be part of 2023 Ryder Cup team

While appearing on Golf.com ‘Subpar’ podcast, Zach Johnson noted that “there’s hasn’t been much communication” when asked about LIV Golfer’s participation in the Ryder Cup team. If Brooks Koepka makes it on the team, he’ll be the only Saudi circuit player to do so.

While it’ll be celebratory news for LIV Golf and their fans, analyst Brandel Chamblee prefers to divert from this opinion. He blasted the 33-year-old golfer stating it’ll be good for the Ryder Cup team if Koepka misses it. Chamblee noted that “in making this team more cohesive”, the LIV Golfer’s absence “would be good for this team”.

Chamblee being a vocal and continuous supporter of the PGA Tour further blasted the Saudi circuit stating it’ll only be an unnecessary distraction for the actual event. It’ll be like a “referendum on LIV” and nothing else. 

He believes that the focus for the major event will be shifted by fans praising LIV and celebrating their first player to participate in Ryder Cup. Zach Johnson is expected to name all of his six team captains by the end of August as it’ll wrap up Tour Championship.

Following Phil Mickelson falling out of qualification, Koepka will have to fight for the final spot on the Ryder Cup team. So far Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Wyndham Clark, and Brian Harman have already booked their spots. While Max Homa and Xander Schauffele are strong contestants in the run.

In case you missed:

BMW Championship prize money payout: Viktor Hovland pockets $3.6 million after BMW Championship victory from $20 million event purse

Is LIV Golfer Brooks Koepka’s automatic qualification for Ryder Cup in jeopardy?

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