30 August 2023 , 20:07
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Former coach of Tiger Woods, Hank Haney, has hit out at the American Ryder Cup selection policy, labelling Zach Johnson 's team a "boys club".
Captain Johnson finalised his team on Tuesday, announcing his six selections. The two-time major champion confirmed that Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler, Sam Burns and Justin Thomas will be on the plane to Rome next month.
The six captain's picks join those already qualified in Scottie Scheffler, Brian Harman, Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa and Xander Schauffele. Johnson faced a tough task when finalising his team, with a whole host of players in the mix to make the squad.
The fate of Thomas was arguably the biggest debate. Despite the two-time major champion announcing himself as a mainstay in the U.S. team in recent years, doubt was cast on his chances of making this year's Ryder Cup after a tough run of form throughout the 2023 season.
Thomas missed five cuts in eight of his last events, which cost him a place at the season-ending FedEx Cup playoffs. Despite the lack of form, Johnson has placed his trust in the former world No. 1's experience in the matchplay event. "Justin Thomas is one of the most talented players on the PGA Tour in my opinion," the captain said.
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"He has, without question, been the heart and soul of Team USA. He is our emotional leader - he leads by example. He has a fantastic overall Ryder Cup record and his passion for the Ryder Cup is evident. He was born for this and you just don’t leave JT out.”
Justin Thomas has earned a spot in the U.S. Ryder Cup team (Getty Images)At Thomas' expense the likes of Keegan Bradley, Cameron Young and Denny McCarthy all missed out on making the 12-man team, despite finding themselves above the American in the U.S. Ryder Cup rankings. This process was criticised by recognised coach Haney, who believes there is somewhat of a clique within the U.S. team.
Haney tweeted: "It didn’t matter who Zach Johnson picked the USA team will be heavily favored but those picks confirm it’s the Boys Club." A whole host of LIV Golf stars also missed the cut, with Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau two of the notable absentees from the breakaway circuit.
The only LIV player named in the U.S. setup was Koepka, and Haney believes that Johnson and co were unable to ignore the Smash GC captain's PGA Championship win. Responding to a tweet regarding the lack of LIV involvement, he wrote: "Not surprising at all, they didn’t want to take any LIV players but couldn’t avoid taking Brooks."