30 August 2023 , 20:13
714
0
Team USA Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson admitted to having 'sleepless nights' over his decision not to select Cameron Young in his team on Tuesday.
Johnson confirmed his six captain's picks to join the already qualified Scottie Scheffler, Brian Harman, Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa and Xander Schauffele. The two-time major champion completed his team by selecting Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler, Sam Burns and Justin Thomas.
The announcement came as a shock to many due to the omission of Young. Speaking last month, vice-captain Fred Couples confirmed the 26-year-old would be part of the team that heads to Rome in September.
Speaking on his own SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio show, Couples claimed: "Cam Young will be in Italy." This is of course not the case on the back of Johnson's announcement, and following the u-turn the captain was forced to address his right-hand man's previous comments.
He said: "Yeah, I know what was said [regarding Young] , but I think that was a while back. It was kind of in jest. It is what it is. It did keep me up at night having to make those phone calls, specifically Cam [Young]. Phenomenal player, better person. He was nothing but class.”
Bubba Watson shares details of horror knee injury ahead of LIV Golf debut
One man who did earn a place at the expense of Young was former world No. 1 Thomas. Two-time major winner Thomas would have been one of the first names on the team sheet for his captain heading into the year, but a tough PGA Tour campaign saw him fall down the Ryder Cup pecking order.
Zach Johnson announced his team this week (Getty Images)Thomas finished his season by missing five cuts in eight events, which saw him fail to make the season-ending FedEx Cup events. Despite his poor run of form it appears Thomas' experience on the Ryder Cup stage proved enough to earn him a spot on the plane this time around.
Defending his decision to pick the 30-year-old, Johnson said: "Justin Thomas is one of the most talented players on the PGA Tour in my opinion. "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.”