Zach Johnson, while causing a frenzy of sorts in the golfing world, revealed his captain’s picks for the upcoming Ryder Cup a while back. The much-anticipated picks came with a lot of reactions from the golf community as players such as Sam Burns, among others, were selected by the skipper. The response was not heartwarming, to say the least, as the mixed feedback mostly leaned towards discontent against his selection.

The golfer experienced a couple of rough years in 2022–23, which led to him having only a thin line of hope for his selection to the Cup. Many in the golf community protested against the skipper’s choice, but the American professional came out recently to open up about the Ryder Cup, leaving a lot of fans surprised and curious.

Sam Burns opens up about his No. 1 goal

Burns was selected via Johnson’s wild card picks to make his first-ever appearance in the Ryder Cup. Fans around the world could not help but express their shock at the selections made by the skipper as they went ahead to dissect his two-year performances, leading to a difference of opinion with Zach. But the 27-year-old was not one to take it lying down, as he went ahead to open up about the prestigious tournament.

Not long ago, the professional golfer shared his true thoughts on the prestigious tournament, saying, “I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was my No. 1 goal”. For any American golfer, playing for their nation is something that they keep at the forefront of their minds and work towards.

Although the case for Burns’ inclusion looks weak from the outside, his recent statement reveals otherwise, as his patriotism pushed him to look at the biennial event instead of any other majors or even the FedEx Cup for that matter.

His bold revelation came owing to the increasing amount of flak arising from the overview of his recent performances, with many claiming he didn’t deserve a spot in the Ryder Cup this year. Burns had just five top-10 finishes in 2023. At the same time, he even failed to make the cut at the PGA Championship and the Open Championship. Moreover, the golfer’s only win during the year came at the WGC Match Play.

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Surprisingly, Burns wasn’t the only one who got a lot of negative reactions to his selection. Justin Thomas was also met with a lot of contention as he came to be selected as part of Johnson’s roster of wild cards. But even so, many professionals came out in support of the golfer.

Golf greats back up Justin Thomas’ selection for the Ryder Cup

Golfing legend Lee Trevino mentioned in an interview how JT was picked because of his experience and age. Moreover, his friendship and affinity on the course with Jordan Speith, another golfer on the Ryder Cup team, also added to the factors that helped him in his selection. Moreover, his amazing career also helped him become one of the top names for the captain’s pick.

Mark Murphy also came forward to voice his support for Thomas, as he pointed out how the feeling of patriotism would push the golfer beyond his limits to perform well at the prestigious tournament.

Well, one can’t help but wait and see what will happen with the two golfers at the upcoming tournament. Do you think Sam Burns and Justin Thomas will be able to deliver at the Ryder Cup? Share your thoughts below.

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