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Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior Writer
ATLANTA — As Brooks Koepka awaits a decision on whether he will be chosen for the U.S. Ryder Cup squad, world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler and Open Championship winner Brian Harman, who have already qualified for the team, say they wouldn’t mind having him as a teammate, even after he left the PGA Tour for the LIV Golf League in June 2022.
Koepka, a five-time major champion who tied for second at the Masters and won his third PGA Championship in May, fell out of the top six in the points standings this week, finishing 29 points behind Xander Schauffele for the final automatic spot on the team. Koepka will need to be one of Zach Johnson’s six captain’s picks if he is going to compete against Europe in Italy next month.
“Brooks? I mean, I looked at the points list the other night,” said Scheffler, who is first in Ryder Cup points. “I think he was 30 points shy? I think it was the equivalent of like $30,000 throughout the year. So if he played one tournament on tour, I think he probably would have been on the team.”
Koepka didn’t receive Ryder Cup points for any of his LIV Golf finishes. He is suspended from competing in PGA Tour events, so he could accumulate points only through his performances in major championships.
Koepka tied for 17th in the U.S. Open and 64th in The Open. He won a LIV Golf tournament in Orlando, Florida, in April.
U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay and Max Homa also qualified for the team on points.
Johnson will announce his captain’s picks Tuesday from PGA of America headquarters in Frisco, Texas. Johnson is believed to be considering several players for the six captain’s choices. Jordan Spieth is eighth in Ryder Cup points, followed by Cameron Young, Collin Morikawa, Keegan Bradley, Sam Burns, Rickie Fowler, Denny McCarthy, Justin Thomas and Lucas Glover.
“You know, Brooks, he’s right there,” Harman said. “I think he would be a pretty good addition to the team. I’m not totally familiar with his record in Ryder Cups, but the experience would certainly help, especially considering there’s probably going to be a fair amount of rookies over there.
“In my opinion, the goal of the Ryder Cup is to win, so whoever Zach thinks that can help us win the Ryder Cup I think needs to be on the team.”
Koepka has played in the past three Ryder Cups with a 7-6-1 record, including going 2-2-0 during the United States’ win in 2021 at Whistling Straits.
The U.S. team will try to end a 30-year drought on foreign soil. They haven’t won overseas since a 15-13 victory at The Belfry in Warwickshire, England, in 1993.
