The toughest part of games like the Ryder Cup or the Presidents Cup? It is impossible to keep the hearts of every player. On Tuesday, Jim Furyk and Mike Weir declared the six players as part of the captain’s pick ahead of the Presidents Cup this month. Sam Burns, Russell Henley, Keegan Bradley, Max Homa, Brian Harman, and Tony Finau were chosen for Team USA, completing the entire team of 12.

Well, several great players were left out, among which the biggest shocker was Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas not being in it. On one hand, Spieth has only missed one edition in the last decade, he is bound to miss this season too due to surgery this offseason. But for JT, looks like the reason is pretty much different.

Jim Furyk calls Justin Thomas’s absence a ‘tough omission’

Justin Thomas is on the Ryder Cup committee and rightly so. He has competed in all the team competitions ever since 2017 and will be a part of the team USA at the 2025 Ryder Cup as well. However, when it comes to Jim Furyk’s roster, he does not seem to be a good fit. He has had a staunch record of 10-3-2 in the Presidents Cup and is ranked 19, which makes it all the more difficult to believe.

In a recent interview with NUCLR Golf, Furyk was asked why was he not a member of his team. He stated that there were almost ‘16 to 18 guys’ that he would want to be a part of his team. He even said that he probably knows JT better than anyone else on the team. However, he could only take twelve of them, and well, looks like the 31 YO was not one of them.

Stating how tough it was to not take him, Furyk spoke about the emotional leader and said, “He’s a great team room guy. He’s going to play on a ton of these teams in the future as well & one day be a captain & a great one. Tough omission, but I had to take the 12 guys I saw fit.”

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Justin Thomas finished the Tour Championship with a T14 and could have easily tried to talk to the captain about his likes. At Atlanta, when asked about it, he made a rather disheartening confession.

Justin Thomas made no efforts to convince Jim Furyk

After his first round, where he bagged a 5-under 67, the American professional confessed to not being in close contact with the USA Presidents Cup captain. He stated that Furyk barely wants to bother the players. “Not only is he playing some, but this is a pretty obviously important part of our season, so I don’t think he wants to feel like a burden or distract us by any means,” said JT.

They had hardly met before the selection and only had one conversation. However, for Thomas, it was an awkward place to be in because he had no idea about the role or place he was to play even if he reached up and tried convincing Furyk to make him part of the team.

Stating how he does not want to overstep, he added, “So that’s why I’m staying out of it. I feel like just trying to play good golf because that takes care of it more than anything.” Well to be fair, despite his great records at the Presidents Cup, his 2024 season has been filled with ups and downs!