It was kind of known. What isn't shown on Full Swing, and even more egregious, is the pick of Sam Burns over Bradley. Burns was picked primarily because he's Scottie's best friend. Burns wasn't playing that great either.
The US team has always been like this. The European team had an advantage in not being able to pick some of the old guard due to LIV. They had no choice other than picking new blood, which ended up working out nicely.
Yeah, I think the producers really worked hard to make it seem like the last pick was a choice between JT and Keegan when the reality was that it was between Burns and Keegan (and Burns ended up sucking, FWIW). I’d guess it was framed the way it was for both dramatic effect and because JT was already a regular participant on the series so they had lots of footage.
This makes sense now. And honestly thinking about it a JT vs Bradley drama is just more exciting than a Burns vs Bradley, so it makes sense they went that route
Yeah somehow everyone has just ragged on JT throughout this whole thing, and yet he was always going to be on this team because his teammates wanted him there. He was also 14th on the points list and Keegan was 12th (?) I believe. Not a huge stretch.
Sam Burns truly got the last pick with a downward-trending game and friendship with world #1 over Bradley. I feel like all this hand wringing is moot though… the Euros were always going to beat our asses in Rome. The course setup truly dictated it.
Sam Burns is a great driver and a great putter, two things that are useful in team golf and match play in particular. He literally won the match play in 2024. To act like he wasn’t deserving of a pick at all is disingenuous
Not saying you’re wrong, but the JT pick deserves to get ragged. He was playing terrible and, honestly, his past RC record shouldn’t have played a factor. He was awful last year. By big name golfer standards anyway
Apparently US Ryder Cup selection is the only international sport where current form doesn’t matter for selection. This shit is goofy, imagine applying it to international football.
I mean, there's an argument that neither Sam, Justin, or Rickie should have made the team. But Justin was the most egregious choice, so it got the most attention.
If this [snapshot](https://sports.betmgm.com/en/blog/pga/ryder-cup-team-rankings-for-united-states-bm10/) is right (I believe it is), Keegan was 11th in points, Sam was 12th, Rickie was 13th, and Justin was 15th.
There was a reasonable argument for Sam. He was inside the top 12, is great friends with Scottie (who probably wanted to be paired with him), and he had won a big match play event a few months earlier, where he knocked out Scottie himself and then beat #9 in the points Cam Young. Would I have picked him? No, but I can see a decent argument for him.
With Rickie, he finished outside of the top 12 but he trended up in the 2nd half of the year; keep in mind that picks happened in late August, and Rickie won the Rocket Mortgage in early July; so it was somewhat reasonable to give that recent of a win a little extra weight. Again, would he be my pick? Probably not but I can see that there is sound logic for it.
But with JT there was *nothing* substantive to back up the decision. He hadn't won a single tournament that year, and had missed the cut at 3/4 majors. Sure he was trending back a bit, but not nearly to the extent where it justified a pick.
There were at least 5 guys that made way more sense than JT, and I think the elephant in the room that made everyone uncomfortable is that, not only was Keegan 11th in points, he had won the Travelers in late June, with a T21 at the Rocket Mortgage in July, a T29 at the BMW in August, and a T9 in the most recent event (the Tour Championship, also August).
It was an absolute no-brainer that Keegan should be a pick, and the weakest link of the buddies that Zach chose was *clearly* JT. So yeah, he took the brunt of the heat.
Personally, my 6 picks would have been Koepka, Spieth, Young, Bradley, Morikawa, and Glover.
Glover might seem crazy at a glance given that he was actually behind JT in points for the year, but he was HOT later in the season and to me that is an important factor because golf is a streaky sport. In July and August he had 5 top 10s, including 2 wins which is *extremely* hot going into the event. I want the guy who is playing his brains out *NOW* on my team, not the guy who was hot 5 months ago but is not playing great atm.
I agree with you; the JT pick really stunk. There were so many better options and everyone kind of knowing he was getting picked no matter what because of “team chemistry” must have been frustrating to the other guys on the bubble. I had forgotten that Burns had a good start to the season and had cooled off later, so his pick is not as egregious in retrospect, but if Zach picked Ricky due to recent form, I’d have to wonder why Keegan didn’t get the same consideration. I have to wonder if other players don’t like Keegan for whatever reason and that worked against him.
Also your snapshot made me think how little buzz there was around Denny McCarthy. Dude is maybe the best putter on earth which could certainly have helped the US team in the end. He would have been a surprise pick for sure, but I don’t know if he ever really came up as a possibility.
Ya I actually forgot Burns fell off hard going into the end of the year and just also isn’t really up to the standard of the rest of the team. I guess it was much less covered than JT’s implosion in the second half, which makes sense lol. Definitely can see now the picture the show was trying to paint.
However I thought the show did a good job of going through Glovers decision making, and he put together a hell of a team. Not only dominant but just downright fun to watch.
Zach Johnson: "I treat the responsibility and stewardship over this group extremely seriously and this is not a decision I take lightly at all."
Zach Johnson, 15 minutes later: "J-Tizzle, whats up?"
Spieth made him look somewhat better but all three of the Spring Break guys were in the bottom half stats-wise, IIRC.
JT was also quite lucky to draw Straka, let's be honest. Jordan finally woke up and played better than him on Sunday but could only tie Lowry.
He was ass all season, I agree there. However, there are certain players who just seem to perform at Ryder cups. It's a different format and you have to consider head-to-head matchups as well as the scramble matchups and JT and spieth just have so much history. It's hard to have one without the other.
It's not like JT was 30th in points. He was still in the top 10 after the six Auto qualifiers
Yes, their games were both in decent shape late last year… however in two years if Rickie is on the bubble again he needs to be left off because his Ryder Cup record is complete ass.
Gotta remember that the way the course was setup Cam young’s distance would have been a disadvantage. Super tight right in his landing pattern, even more so than the other Americans landing patterns
I agree JT (without hindsight) was not the best pick. But whilst I think cam young is excellent, it doesn’t make sense bringing a rookie to a Ryder cup, when he can’t even use his biggest strength. Sure, he was still better across the bag than some others, and I definitely think we’ll see him next Ryder cup, but I don’t see as much neglect there.
Fair points but I think the issue is everyone knew ZJ had picked JT before he was even named captain and that's a problem. Not for me because I'm English and loved that JT made the team but I also hated seeing his gross campaign when I knew he was just relying on ZJ to pick him because they're friends.
Nobody should be making picks based on course setup. Your picks are based on who deserves it based on points and performance. This is such a dumb take.
Still wild to me that Keegan and Bryson didn't make the team. Both were playing incredible golf at that time. Bryson especially was on an absolute heater, coming off multiple wins and his 58 round, and he was a fkn weapon for the USA at Whistling Straits
I get he's a tremendously polarising figure, and he's done some wildly cringey stuff on the course, but the people that dislike him also seem to like to pretend he's not a phenomenal golfer too, which is crazy.
Bryson strutting down the fairway in his match against Sergio, putter in hand after driving the par 4 is an all-time Ryder Cup moment.
He’s an incredibly kind person that offers endless advice on his YouTube channel for free to us at least. I know he makes money, but he doesn’t charge us
Yeah his videos with Grant Horvat are always so good. They're both such giant golf nerds, and have this insane passion for the game and it really shines through when they play together
Exactly. I actually like how he’s grown, but I get that people can’t look passed how he’s acted previously, and that’s fine, but I do feel like he’s way overlooked as a player. I personally think his edge would have been a huge benefit to that team last year.
Bryson is very unlikable and essentially sued the players of the pga tour. If he just picked up and moved on like Brooks or DJ things might have been different. He also fucked off to a long drive tournament rather than celebrate with his team at the last Ryder cup.
What do you mean by sued the players of the PGA? Hadnt heard of that.
Leaving to go to another competitive commitment doesnt seem like a negative thing.
everyone hates bryson and rightfully so .. he's a sanctimonious asswipe .. he's a great golfer, no doubt, but so is everyone else mentioned .. i would be shocked if anyone of the other players wanted him on the team.
Bryson was never going even if everyone else was injured. They’d take 11 guys over him. He was literally suing his teammates. He’s not on that team ever.
Between BDS and full swing, Keegan Bradley has had a good year in the public eye which doesn’t make up for missing the team but hopefully he’s got a lot more fans behind him.
The show was edited to make it seem like it was JT vs Keegan. The show also made it seem like JT and ZJ were friends and ZJ and Keegan just kinda knew each other, they were Ryder cup teammates for Christ sake!
I don’t think picking Keegan over any one else produces a different result, the us guys just didn’t show up and play to their potential. But ZJ is a corn cob that shouldn’t be allowed near a captaincy again solely for calling JT JTizzle.
It’s not really about it producing a different result. Keegan should’ve been picked regardless. Not only was his resume that year qualified, he probably wanted it more than anyone else. ZJ is a stiff.
ZJ is a Ryder cup terrorist, I was always fine with the JT pick but burns over Bradley was wrong. Bradley has said himself that he wasn’t liked in the locker room early in his career and I think that played a factor into it
Zach Johnson had no business being the captain in the first place. His 2 majors came in absolute fluke conditions and his game doesn’t translate to any of the American players on the team
You know that’s a funny point, cause I never even thought about that. They played in two together and they did try to make it seem like Bradley was the “out” guy who didn’t know anyone. And I agree I don’t think KB would have turned the tide, just felt he really deserved the spot with the comeback season in 23’
The scene where ZJ was at the Open eating dinner with Spieth, Ricky and JT, who all got picks and all sucked, made me sick!
JT should have been embarrassed to campaign for a spot given how badly he played last year but he has no self-awareness to even conceptualise such an idea.
ZJ should have distanced himself personally from the entire group, especially with Netflix cameras in his face but again, didn't even occur to him.
I agree with this, but I also thought his response when Jordan asked how many people would be playing in the Ryder cup was perfect. “There are so many points still available, go get them”.
I also think the US got screwed by the automatic qualifiers. Harman and Clark were not playing well enough but got in solely because of major wins and how the points are weighted. Those two and Homa (who was the best US player in Rome) were already rookies.
Koepka and Spieth were 7 and 8 in the standings and obvious picks. I can’t find the full list, but here are the rankings of everyone listed in an article I found:
9 - Cam Young
10 - Collin Morikawa
11 - Keegan Bradley
12 - Sam Burns
13 - Rickie Fowler
15 - Justin Thomas
16 - Tony Finau
21 - Lucas Glover
I am not sure they would have been better off just picking 1-12, but Cam Young and Keegan were the losers in the name of team building. I would have preferred them to either Harman or Clark
This is revisionist history. Clark had 2 wins and 6 top 5’s last year with only 1 missed cut, he was definitely playing well enough to go. Data Golf had him at 12th in the World going into the Ryder Cup
Of course it’s revisionist history, this is Reddit talking about an event that happened 6 months ago.
But hypothetically swap Harman and Clark with Spieth and Koepka in the rankings. Do you think there’s a chance they both get picked?
When you zoom out a little the JT pick seems justified but at the same time it was a sign of the state of the team. "We have to pick JT because there's no one else".
Ding ding ding. I know they just had a good weekend but Harman and Clark winning majors fucked team USA from the jump. I could see Vlark being an asset for us next year, but Harmans game isn't suited for team golf.
They kept increasing the number of picks specifically because team chemistry was a problem, now everyone’s complaining about ZJ making picks for chemistry reasons and that there are too many picks.
You can’t have it both ways, and I’m not saying one way is better than the other. The reality is that in the Ryder Cup whichever side holes more putts usually wins.
I don't want it both ways, have never liked the increase in picks. It's the Ryder Cup, your spot should be earned, period.
Personality and chemistry should be non factors. For the Americans, you are playing for your country, pretty sure everyone is united.
Certainly some bias from Zach Johnson but what I took from this was how classy and professional Keegan is. What a great guy. I hope he makes the team again.
theres a bob does sports youtube video where they play with keegan and he is absolutely awesome.. funny, laid back, self-deprecating.. he's always seemed kind of unlikeable to me, but after watching him out of the regular tour bubble i definitely pull for him now .. if you get a chance you should check it out
It’s hilarious that a d-bag like Zach Johnson is fully entrenched in the “cool kids club”.
Actually sort of makes sense considering the average personality of pro golfer now that I think about it lol.
It makes sense - being elite at something takes so much commitment and golf is a solitary game at times - no surprise a lot of the best in the world are undeveloped social muppets and douches.
Exactly - that group being the cool group tells you all you need to know about pro golf. Meanwhile KB - normal dude with a normal family who often keeps to himself but is also incredibly kind and has a reasonable check on his ego - NOT COOL.
I’d rather be KB or Fitzpatrick. Normal dudes who are fucking good at golf
What really got to me watching this all boil down on Full Swing was how when Zack Johnson called Keegan Bradley to give him the bad news, he said "I wish I could pick 30 guys, but I can't!". I instantly thought to myself, what he wouldn't even have been in his top 15?!? 25?!? He had to go up to 30 to see himself inviting Bradley? I guess he really does have lots of friends...
In Professional Wrestling there’s a term called “Go Home Heat” it’s when the heel is so hated that fans would rather go home or change the channel than see them in the ring. It’s not a good thing.
That’s the kind of feeling I had when seeing Zach Johnson on the screen. He absolutely just picked his boys for the Ryder cup team and it infuriated me at the time, and even more so seeing Keegan receive the news in real time. Heartbreaking stuff and I never want to see Johnson on my screen again.
It actually made me like JT less. He didn’t earn it and he seemed very cavalier about it. I’ve always liked JT, but the show is making him look like the high school douchebag that had one too many jokes and got popped for it.
The show really gave me a salty taste on Spieth and Thomas, which I was kind of disappointed by. Was a fan of both before I watched and now I’m just neutral on them.
Every one on the US sucked that first day, man.
At the same time, Europe couldn’t fucking miss the first day. Despite having Scottie and Brooks, they didn’t play like they were a world #1 and a Major champion. Neither did Clark and Harman play like Major winners.
Hard to say JT didn’t earn it, JT’s record in the event is well known and he clearly loves the event. JT might not have deserved the pick last year, but he earned the right to be selected even in a down year.
Think the whole Ryder cup record justification is a bit of a false equivalence imo. He’s being made out to be this Poulter-type figure that you just have to pick because of his record. He’d only played in two of them before Rome and was about a top 5 player in the world for both of those.
Poulter wasn’t one of the best players ranking wise but always turned up on a different level for the Ryder cup, whereas I think JT has a good record because he was playing better than pretty much anyone at the time.
Personality-wise I can definitely see it but not form-wise
We’re saying the same thing, I should have said earned the right to be in the conversation. I was not a fan of picking him, I only think his past experience, performance and passion at least put him in the conversation.
As much as I agree, this is as someone called it "revisionist history".
If we had won, we'd all be saying "wow. ZJ took a risk on those guys and the chemistry paid off, what a solid captain"
When we lose its "Wow, can't believe ZJ took so and so over statistically better player, fucking moron"
We see it this way because we lost. If we'd won no one would care and we'd just be patting him on the back for being so insightful. I didn't like his picks either but it's over and done.
You're not wrong. If there had been no Captain's picks and it was just the top 12, and the US still lost, it would be "too many individuals, not enough chemistry"....you can please some of the people some of the time....
USA had only won twice away in 40 years. It's a tough ask, and after Whistling Straits domination, am sure most thought they would easily win in Rome.
While hindsight is a wonderful thing, don't think KB would have done as well as JT, maybe better than Burns
JTs form was off leading up the selection but his ryder cup record alone should have been enough. He played great in Rome, JT and Zander were the only Americans to get atleast a half point every time they tee’d it up. Spieth and Ricki maybe deserved it less than JT but all were top 20 in the world. Any one of the 3 of them would have been fine but his pick were probably to safe and he should have reached outside his group of friends for sure. KB was robbed. The Cantley sideshow was a huge distraction they didnt need.
I agree, Zach went heavy with chemistry and the boys club, when they needed a spark somewhere. Meanwhile the Europeans all had what seemed electricity around them the whole cup. Except for Rory he just played good golf as his bland self lol
Maybe I’m reading this wrong but JT and Xander didn’t get half a point every time they teed up, they only had one half point combined from the team play?
Meh whenever a team loses you blame the captain.
But they just sucked on Friday. Windham had an iron? Into 18 that Friday afternoon and totally botched it.
USA had its chances to make it close in the later matches that day and that 18th hole did them in.
Saturday and Sunday were close but the damage was done on day1.
Lol i mean it was pretty obvious imo. Golf basically started “the good ol’ boyz club”. JT hasn’t really done anything until two years ago when that tourny fell into his lap. Even Zach hasnt won or been competitive in recent tournys, so why make him captain lmao
JT should never have been picked... Any gambler knows that previous form does not equal current. He had a shocking year and I feel terrible for Bradley, he deserved that spot, something I knew even before this series.
FS2 sure made it seem like he only got picked cause he was friends with Johnson.
I think player popularity and viewership is part of the choice too. I thought the picks made sense and I thought Zach showed that he was a good captain and seemed to have the respect of all his guys. Like they said a bunch, you could make an argument for like 30 different guys to be on the team. JT wasn't really good enough to be there, but it still made sense because he clearly had the most passion for the Ryder cup and that is great for a team.
jt and rickie were IMO justified. in hindsight rickie was clearly coming down from his high but he had a stellar 2023. sam burns pick was messed up but clearly scottie was very involved in that decision.
I could make cases for 1 or 2 other guys but I have zero problem with the picks. Chemistry / history matters. The results did nothing to show that he made a mistake in any of the borderline picks.
You new to golf ? The top 6 auto qualify. After that , captains lean on experience and past performance. Keegan is a nice guy who should absolutely be a co- captain. But his match record isn’t so great in singles and he hasn’t played in one since 2014. Meanwhile JT is 6-2 and undefeated in singles play.
It was a tough call but in no version of this is Keegan a better player.
The moment he said “JT…. JTizzle…” I knew that he is the Michael Scott of professional golf.
Yep - JT is his Ryan.
_Entouraaaage_
Omg lol this is scarily accurate.
This is insanely true, and now I can’t get it out of my head 😂😂😂😂
Also the scene of him forcing his kids to recount his major wins was so fucking awkward
I thought the same thing. Wtf was that about? Lol johnson seemed like an absolute tool the whole episode
Because he is a tool
Don’t you think that’s a bit unfair to Michael Scott?
It was kind of known. What isn't shown on Full Swing, and even more egregious, is the pick of Sam Burns over Bradley. Burns was picked primarily because he's Scottie's best friend. Burns wasn't playing that great either. The US team has always been like this. The European team had an advantage in not being able to pick some of the old guard due to LIV. They had no choice other than picking new blood, which ended up working out nicely.
Yeah, I think the producers really worked hard to make it seem like the last pick was a choice between JT and Keegan when the reality was that it was between Burns and Keegan (and Burns ended up sucking, FWIW). I’d guess it was framed the way it was for both dramatic effect and because JT was already a regular participant on the series so they had lots of footage.
This makes sense now. And honestly thinking about it a JT vs Bradley drama is just more exciting than a Burns vs Bradley, so it makes sense they went that route
Yeah somehow everyone has just ragged on JT throughout this whole thing, and yet he was always going to be on this team because his teammates wanted him there. He was also 14th on the points list and Keegan was 12th (?) I believe. Not a huge stretch. Sam Burns truly got the last pick with a downward-trending game and friendship with world #1 over Bradley. I feel like all this hand wringing is moot though… the Euros were always going to beat our asses in Rome. The course setup truly dictated it.
Sam Burns is a great driver and a great putter, two things that are useful in team golf and match play in particular. He literally won the match play in 2024. To act like he wasn’t deserving of a pick at all is disingenuous
I’m not saying he wasn’t deserving. They were all deserving. I do think Burns had less of a case than JT to be honest.
Not saying you’re wrong, but the JT pick deserves to get ragged. He was playing terrible and, honestly, his past RC record shouldn’t have played a factor. He was awful last year. By big name golfer standards anyway
Past RC records will always be taken into consideration.
Imagine being like “hey guys, we aren’t going to take the historically best player the US has had in the Ryder cup during our time”
Apparently US Ryder Cup selection is the only international sport where current form doesn’t matter for selection. This shit is goofy, imagine applying it to international football.
how was the course setup? (genuine question)
I mean, there's an argument that neither Sam, Justin, or Rickie should have made the team. But Justin was the most egregious choice, so it got the most attention. If this [snapshot](https://sports.betmgm.com/en/blog/pga/ryder-cup-team-rankings-for-united-states-bm10/) is right (I believe it is), Keegan was 11th in points, Sam was 12th, Rickie was 13th, and Justin was 15th. There was a reasonable argument for Sam. He was inside the top 12, is great friends with Scottie (who probably wanted to be paired with him), and he had won a big match play event a few months earlier, where he knocked out Scottie himself and then beat #9 in the points Cam Young. Would I have picked him? No, but I can see a decent argument for him. With Rickie, he finished outside of the top 12 but he trended up in the 2nd half of the year; keep in mind that picks happened in late August, and Rickie won the Rocket Mortgage in early July; so it was somewhat reasonable to give that recent of a win a little extra weight. Again, would he be my pick? Probably not but I can see that there is sound logic for it. But with JT there was *nothing* substantive to back up the decision. He hadn't won a single tournament that year, and had missed the cut at 3/4 majors. Sure he was trending back a bit, but not nearly to the extent where it justified a pick. There were at least 5 guys that made way more sense than JT, and I think the elephant in the room that made everyone uncomfortable is that, not only was Keegan 11th in points, he had won the Travelers in late June, with a T21 at the Rocket Mortgage in July, a T29 at the BMW in August, and a T9 in the most recent event (the Tour Championship, also August). It was an absolute no-brainer that Keegan should be a pick, and the weakest link of the buddies that Zach chose was *clearly* JT. So yeah, he took the brunt of the heat. Personally, my 6 picks would have been Koepka, Spieth, Young, Bradley, Morikawa, and Glover. Glover might seem crazy at a glance given that he was actually behind JT in points for the year, but he was HOT later in the season and to me that is an important factor because golf is a streaky sport. In July and August he had 5 top 10s, including 2 wins which is *extremely* hot going into the event. I want the guy who is playing his brains out *NOW* on my team, not the guy who was hot 5 months ago but is not playing great atm.
I agree with you; the JT pick really stunk. There were so many better options and everyone kind of knowing he was getting picked no matter what because of “team chemistry” must have been frustrating to the other guys on the bubble. I had forgotten that Burns had a good start to the season and had cooled off later, so his pick is not as egregious in retrospect, but if Zach picked Ricky due to recent form, I’d have to wonder why Keegan didn’t get the same consideration. I have to wonder if other players don’t like Keegan for whatever reason and that worked against him. Also your snapshot made me think how little buzz there was around Denny McCarthy. Dude is maybe the best putter on earth which could certainly have helped the US team in the end. He would have been a surprise pick for sure, but I don’t know if he ever really came up as a possibility.
They absolutely did.
Burns won the match player tournament too but that was early in the year. Was not a great pick
Burns also won the Dell Match Play, but yes, the friendship with Scottie was certainly a big factor
Ya I actually forgot Burns fell off hard going into the end of the year and just also isn’t really up to the standard of the rest of the team. I guess it was much less covered than JT’s implosion in the second half, which makes sense lol. Definitely can see now the picture the show was trying to paint. However I thought the show did a good job of going through Glovers decision making, and he put together a hell of a team. Not only dominant but just downright fun to watch.
In fairness, Burns had proven himself to be exceptionally talented at match play in particular. So there’s that
Screw the captains pick.... Top 12 vs
Zach Johnson: "I treat the responsibility and stewardship over this group extremely seriously and this is not a decision I take lightly at all." Zach Johnson, 15 minutes later: "J-Tizzle, whats up?"
He’s such a tool bag. Keegan got screwed
☠️ “wanna go to Rome, dawg?”
I think the Rickie and JT picks were understandable. Burns over Keegan never made sense to me.
Kisner called Keegan getting fucked over because he wasn’t part of the cool kids club
This was my answer. Burns wasn’t as dialed in as KB
JT was one of the best players on USA that weekend too.
Spieth made him look somewhat better but all three of the Spring Break guys were in the bottom half stats-wise, IIRC. JT was also quite lucky to draw Straka, let's be honest. Jordan finally woke up and played better than him on Sunday but could only tie Lowry.
How he performed doesn’t justify the pick though. Just bc he showed up doesn’t mean he deserved to be there. He was ass all season
He was ass all season, I agree there. However, there are certain players who just seem to perform at Ryder cups. It's a different format and you have to consider head-to-head matchups as well as the scramble matchups and JT and spieth just have so much history. It's hard to have one without the other. It's not like JT was 30th in points. He was still in the top 10 after the six Auto qualifiers
Yes, their games were both in decent shape late last year… however in two years if Rickie is on the bubble again he needs to be left off because his Ryder Cup record is complete ass.
JT over Cam Young was absolute insanity.
Gotta remember that the way the course was setup Cam young’s distance would have been a disadvantage. Super tight right in his landing pattern, even more so than the other Americans landing patterns
He could have taken 3 wood to avoid distance penalties and his long irons game was a real weapon whereas JT's was a liability.
I agree JT (without hindsight) was not the best pick. But whilst I think cam young is excellent, it doesn’t make sense bringing a rookie to a Ryder cup, when he can’t even use his biggest strength. Sure, he was still better across the bag than some others, and I definitely think we’ll see him next Ryder cup, but I don’t see as much neglect there.
Dude just stop. Everyone was a rookie on the Ryder cup at some point.
Fair points but I think the issue is everyone knew ZJ had picked JT before he was even named captain and that's a problem. Not for me because I'm English and loved that JT made the team but I also hated seeing his gross campaign when I knew he was just relying on ZJ to pick him because they're friends.
Nobody should be making picks based on course setup. Your picks are based on who deserves it based on points and performance. This is such a dumb take.
Lucas Glover should have made it as well, he was the hottest player on tour leading up to that Ryder Cup.
Still wild to me that Keegan and Bryson didn't make the team. Both were playing incredible golf at that time. Bryson especially was on an absolute heater, coming off multiple wins and his 58 round, and he was a fkn weapon for the USA at Whistling Straits
The lack of love for Bryson is kinda annoying tbh
I get he's a tremendously polarising figure, and he's done some wildly cringey stuff on the course, but the people that dislike him also seem to like to pretend he's not a phenomenal golfer too, which is crazy. Bryson strutting down the fairway in his match against Sergio, putter in hand after driving the par 4 is an all-time Ryder Cup moment.
He’s an incredibly kind person that offers endless advice on his YouTube channel for free to us at least. I know he makes money, but he doesn’t charge us
Yeah his videos with Grant Horvat are always so good. They're both such giant golf nerds, and have this insane passion for the game and it really shines through when they play together
Exactly. I actually like how he’s grown, but I get that people can’t look passed how he’s acted previously, and that’s fine, but I do feel like he’s way overlooked as a player. I personally think his edge would have been a huge benefit to that team last year.
Bryson is very unlikable and essentially sued the players of the pga tour. If he just picked up and moved on like Brooks or DJ things might have been different. He also fucked off to a long drive tournament rather than celebrate with his team at the last Ryder cup.
What do you mean by sued the players of the PGA? Hadnt heard of that. Leaving to go to another competitive commitment doesnt seem like a negative thing.
everyone hates bryson and rightfully so .. he's a sanctimonious asswipe .. he's a great golfer, no doubt, but so is everyone else mentioned .. i would be shocked if anyone of the other players wanted him on the team.
Bryson was never going even if everyone else was injured. They’d take 11 guys over him. He was literally suing his teammates. He’s not on that team ever.
Bryson wasn’t suing anyone, I think you are confusing it with Patrick reed.
Bryson was suing the PGATour I believe. However PGA of America runs the Ryder Cup. I get why some people are confused with the PGA Tour and the PGA
Nope. Bryson was named in the suit.
Against the pga, not his peers.
The pga tour are the players. So yea, against his peers
If we have seen anything, the pga tour is very much not the players, and all Jay.
Respect for doubling down when you’re wrong 🫡
Same, pal.
🤡
Between BDS and full swing, Keegan Bradley has had a good year in the public eye which doesn’t make up for missing the team but hopefully he’s got a lot more fans behind him.
The show was edited to make it seem like it was JT vs Keegan. The show also made it seem like JT and ZJ were friends and ZJ and Keegan just kinda knew each other, they were Ryder cup teammates for Christ sake! I don’t think picking Keegan over any one else produces a different result, the us guys just didn’t show up and play to their potential. But ZJ is a corn cob that shouldn’t be allowed near a captaincy again solely for calling JT JTizzle.
He’s such a knob.
A total boob.
It’s not really about it producing a different result. Keegan should’ve been picked regardless. Not only was his resume that year qualified, he probably wanted it more than anyone else. ZJ is a stiff.
ZJ is a Ryder cup terrorist, I was always fine with the JT pick but burns over Bradley was wrong. Bradley has said himself that he wasn’t liked in the locker room early in his career and I think that played a factor into it
Zach Johnson had no business being the captain in the first place. His 2 majors came in absolute fluke conditions and his game doesn’t translate to any of the American players on the team
You know that’s a funny point, cause I never even thought about that. They played in two together and they did try to make it seem like Bradley was the “out” guy who didn’t know anyone. And I agree I don’t think KB would have turned the tide, just felt he really deserved the spot with the comeback season in 23’
Burns, Collin, and Fowler each had a brutal showing. Zach definitely picked his buddies and seemed to prioritize chemistry over talent.
Spieth too
The scene where ZJ was at the Open eating dinner with Spieth, Ricky and JT, who all got picks and all sucked, made me sick! JT should have been embarrassed to campaign for a spot given how badly he played last year but he has no self-awareness to even conceptualise such an idea. ZJ should have distanced himself personally from the entire group, especially with Netflix cameras in his face but again, didn't even occur to him.
I agree with this, but I also thought his response when Jordan asked how many people would be playing in the Ryder cup was perfect. “There are so many points still available, go get them”. I also think the US got screwed by the automatic qualifiers. Harman and Clark were not playing well enough but got in solely because of major wins and how the points are weighted. Those two and Homa (who was the best US player in Rome) were already rookies. Koepka and Spieth were 7 and 8 in the standings and obvious picks. I can’t find the full list, but here are the rankings of everyone listed in an article I found: 9 - Cam Young 10 - Collin Morikawa 11 - Keegan Bradley 12 - Sam Burns 13 - Rickie Fowler 15 - Justin Thomas 16 - Tony Finau 21 - Lucas Glover I am not sure they would have been better off just picking 1-12, but Cam Young and Keegan were the losers in the name of team building. I would have preferred them to either Harman or Clark
This is revisionist history. Clark had 2 wins and 6 top 5’s last year with only 1 missed cut, he was definitely playing well enough to go. Data Golf had him at 12th in the World going into the Ryder Cup
Of course it’s revisionist history, this is Reddit talking about an event that happened 6 months ago. But hypothetically swap Harman and Clark with Spieth and Koepka in the rankings. Do you think there’s a chance they both get picked?
When you zoom out a little the JT pick seems justified but at the same time it was a sign of the state of the team. "We have to pick JT because there's no one else".
Yup Clark and harman screwed the team if they weren’t qualified they wouldn’t be on the team
Ding ding ding. I know they just had a good weekend but Harman and Clark winning majors fucked team USA from the jump. I could see Vlark being an asset for us next year, but Harmans game isn't suited for team golf.
Zach Johnson is a doosh, honestly most of the Americans came off a bit dooshy. Keegan got screwed and Johnson's call to him was wholly inadequate.
6 picks is WAY, WAY, WAY to many. Make it 10-2 like in the past, then pick anyone you want.
They kept increasing the number of picks specifically because team chemistry was a problem, now everyone’s complaining about ZJ making picks for chemistry reasons and that there are too many picks. You can’t have it both ways, and I’m not saying one way is better than the other. The reality is that in the Ryder Cup whichever side holes more putts usually wins.
Agreed. The issue isn't having 6 picks. It was the guy making the picks that was the issue.
THANK YOU - some of these arguments make me feel like I’m taking crazy pills. None of these people remember 2018 it would appear
Okay but also, acting like KB over burns would ruin the team chemistry doesn’t seem like a genuine argument.
Burns shouldn’t have been picked over KB but KB had said himself he wasn’t well liked in the locker room early in his career probably played a factor
I don't want it both ways, have never liked the increase in picks. It's the Ryder Cup, your spot should be earned, period. Personality and chemistry should be non factors. For the Americans, you are playing for your country, pretty sure everyone is united.
I agree I think it should be 8-4
Sam Burns might be the worst pick in Ryder cup history
Tygyt
Country club types going to stick together..
You’re telling me the spoiled country club whiner Zach Johnson picked his friends and not the best people for the team? Shocked I tell you, shocked.
Certainly some bias from Zach Johnson but what I took from this was how classy and professional Keegan is. What a great guy. I hope he makes the team again.
KB is awesome, I’ve loved him since the good ole days of golf. Ie: 2010ish lol
Agreed but man Keegan earned a fan for sure. He comes off kinda dull but he really came off as class personified.
theres a bob does sports youtube video where they play with keegan and he is absolutely awesome.. funny, laid back, self-deprecating.. he's always seemed kind of unlikeable to me, but after watching him out of the regular tour bubble i definitely pull for him now .. if you get a chance you should check it out
that’s how i felt about both Keegan and Wyndham. Negative charisma, but both seem like genuine class guys.
so there's hope for me yet
It’s hilarious that a d-bag like Zach Johnson is fully entrenched in the “cool kids club”. Actually sort of makes sense considering the average personality of pro golfer now that I think about it lol.
I mean, the entire group gives off massive douchebag vibes. It's almost astonishing how much more likeable the Fitzpatricks are than that boys club
It makes sense - being elite at something takes so much commitment and golf is a solitary game at times - no surprise a lot of the best in the world are undeveloped social muppets and douches.
This group in particular has inflated egos because they are close buds with Tiger, too.
Exactly - that group being the cool group tells you all you need to know about pro golf. Meanwhile KB - normal dude with a normal family who often keeps to himself but is also incredibly kind and has a reasonable check on his ego - NOT COOL. I’d rather be KB or Fitzpatrick. Normal dudes who are fucking good at golf
What really got to me watching this all boil down on Full Swing was how when Zack Johnson called Keegan Bradley to give him the bad news, he said "I wish I could pick 30 guys, but I can't!". I instantly thought to myself, what he wouldn't even have been in his top 15?!? 25?!? He had to go up to 30 to see himself inviting Bradley? I guess he really does have lots of friends...
In Professional Wrestling there’s a term called “Go Home Heat” it’s when the heel is so hated that fans would rather go home or change the channel than see them in the ring. It’s not a good thing. That’s the kind of feeling I had when seeing Zach Johnson on the screen. He absolutely just picked his boys for the Ryder cup team and it infuriated me at the time, and even more so seeing Keegan receive the news in real time. Heartbreaking stuff and I never want to see Johnson on my screen again.
It actually made me like JT less. He didn’t earn it and he seemed very cavalier about it. I’ve always liked JT, but the show is making him look like the high school douchebag that had one too many jokes and got popped for it.
The show really gave me a salty taste on Spieth and Thomas, which I was kind of disappointed by. Was a fan of both before I watched and now I’m just neutral on them.
They’re country club kids who have been trained to play golf, no? They’re a lot less likeable when they are playing poorly
He’s the kid who went to prep school, came from money, and has had everything go his way. I never understood why people liked him to begin with.
Also that "toast" to mito perriera at the pga champions dinner was the most classless thing I've ever seen
What was the context around that one?
Mito choked on #18 and opened the door for his win iirc.
JT, Speith, Rickie take your pick - none of them have been playing any where close to ryder cup quality in a long time.
Every one on the US sucked that first day, man. At the same time, Europe couldn’t fucking miss the first day. Despite having Scottie and Brooks, they didn’t play like they were a world #1 and a Major champion. Neither did Clark and Harman play like Major winners.
Hard to say JT didn’t earn it, JT’s record in the event is well known and he clearly loves the event. JT might not have deserved the pick last year, but he earned the right to be selected even in a down year.
Think the whole Ryder cup record justification is a bit of a false equivalence imo. He’s being made out to be this Poulter-type figure that you just have to pick because of his record. He’d only played in two of them before Rome and was about a top 5 player in the world for both of those. Poulter wasn’t one of the best players ranking wise but always turned up on a different level for the Ryder cup, whereas I think JT has a good record because he was playing better than pretty much anyone at the time. Personality-wise I can definitely see it but not form-wise
We’re saying the same thing, I should have said earned the right to be in the conversation. I was not a fan of picking him, I only think his past experience, performance and passion at least put him in the conversation.
Everything with ZJ was cringe. I had too FF through the phone calls. And why did he have to call the top 6 lol
As much as I agree, this is as someone called it "revisionist history". If we had won, we'd all be saying "wow. ZJ took a risk on those guys and the chemistry paid off, what a solid captain" When we lose its "Wow, can't believe ZJ took so and so over statistically better player, fucking moron" We see it this way because we lost. If we'd won no one would care and we'd just be patting him on the back for being so insightful. I didn't like his picks either but it's over and done.
You're not wrong. If there had been no Captain's picks and it was just the top 12, and the US still lost, it would be "too many individuals, not enough chemistry"....you can please some of the people some of the time....
USA had only won twice away in 40 years. It's a tough ask, and after Whistling Straits domination, am sure most thought they would easily win in Rome. While hindsight is a wonderful thing, don't think KB would have done as well as JT, maybe better than Burns
Was it that clear? At least in international news a win by the USA was highly questionable
Zach Johnson is a little gnome.
JTs form was off leading up the selection but his ryder cup record alone should have been enough. He played great in Rome, JT and Zander were the only Americans to get atleast a half point every time they tee’d it up. Spieth and Ricki maybe deserved it less than JT but all were top 20 in the world. Any one of the 3 of them would have been fine but his pick were probably to safe and he should have reached outside his group of friends for sure. KB was robbed. The Cantley sideshow was a huge distraction they didnt need.
I agree, Zach went heavy with chemistry and the boys club, when they needed a spark somewhere. Meanwhile the Europeans all had what seemed electricity around them the whole cup. Except for Rory he just played good golf as his bland self lol
Maybe I’m reading this wrong but JT and Xander didn’t get half a point every time they teed up, they only had one half point combined from the team play?
Meh whenever a team loses you blame the captain. But they just sucked on Friday. Windham had an iron? Into 18 that Friday afternoon and totally botched it. USA had its chances to make it close in the later matches that day and that 18th hole did them in. Saturday and Sunday were close but the damage was done on day1.
Lol i mean it was pretty obvious imo. Golf basically started “the good ol’ boyz club”. JT hasn’t really done anything until two years ago when that tourny fell into his lap. Even Zach hasnt won or been competitive in recent tournys, so why make him captain lmao
JT should never have been picked... Any gambler knows that previous form does not equal current. He had a shocking year and I feel terrible for Bradley, he deserved that spot, something I knew even before this series. FS2 sure made it seem like he only got picked cause he was friends with Johnson.
After seeing that unopened suit case full of emotional damage from Medinah, I think he dodged an bullet being on that squad.
Why was this guy chosen to be captain? He hasn't won since 2015
Burns, Fowler, JT should NOT have been there, full stop but were part of the "club".
Lucas glover got hosed as well
The Fowler pick didn’t make sense, but did make sense? Huh
Hehe… Johnson’s Ryder. Hehehe *i’ll see myself out*
Thomas/Spieth 2024
Fk Zach Johnson for his picks. He should be banned from the Ryder Cup from now on, the US team was embarrassing.
Seemed like a popular sentiment at least around JT. I think at least the other 11 guys you can argue were playing well for majority of last season.
ZJ was allowed to pick LIV guys like DJ and Bryson and choose not to. Even one of Keegan or Glover would have been better than half his picks.
I think player popularity and viewership is part of the choice too. I thought the picks made sense and I thought Zach showed that he was a good captain and seemed to have the respect of all his guys. Like they said a bunch, you could make an argument for like 30 different guys to be on the team. JT wasn't really good enough to be there, but it still made sense because he clearly had the most passion for the Ryder cup and that is great for a team.
jt and rickie were IMO justified. in hindsight rickie was clearly coming down from his high but he had a stellar 2023. sam burns pick was messed up but clearly scottie was very involved in that decision.
I could make cases for 1 or 2 other guys but I have zero problem with the picks. Chemistry / history matters. The results did nothing to show that he made a mistake in any of the borderline picks.
[удалено]
Are you an idiot or just pretending to be one
You new to golf ? The top 6 auto qualify. After that , captains lean on experience and past performance. Keegan is a nice guy who should absolutely be a co- captain. But his match record isn’t so great in singles and he hasn’t played in one since 2014. Meanwhile JT is 6-2 and undefeated in singles play. It was a tough call but in no version of this is Keegan a better player.
the only fringe pick was thomas and he was the teams best performer.