LIV Golf players may be allowed to join the U.S. Ryder Cup team this fall, according to Captain Zack Johnson.
“No decisions have been made,” Johnson said, speaking Wednesday at TPC Louisiana in the suburbs of New Orleans, where he is taking part in the Zurich Classic.
“There is still a lot of time left on this, and a lot of variables,” he said. “As far as making decisions personally, no.”
A number of the world’s leading players left the PGA Tour and DP World Tour (formerly known as the European Tour) last year to join the Saudi-backed LIV golf tournament. There has been no announcement as to whether LIV players will be allowed to participate in the European squad.
American players competing at LIV Golf include Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson Dechambeau, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson and Phil Mickelson.
This year’s Ryder Cup will be held from September 25th to October. 1 at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome. The American team consists of six players who qualify through a points system, and six players who are selected by the team captain.
Currently in the top six points standings are American players Scotty Scheffler, Max Homma, Cameron Young, Jordan Spieth, Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay.
Regarding picking the rest of the American team, Johnson said, “I’m going to count heavily on the guys who actually make the team because it’s their team.
“So I don’t know who these six will be, of course, but their ownership and their opinions will greatly influence what I decide to do and what we do.”
Johnson left open the possibility of the LIV players being part of the US squad in Rome.
“Those individuals who have left the PGA Tour are, as far as I know, still members of the PGA of America,” he said. “There is a grace period involved in there. I don’t know the details.”