A month ahead of the Ryder Cup, Captain Zach Johnson has announced his picks for the US team, recently. The top six from the Ryder Cup rankings automatically qualified for the team. The other six positions were to be filled by the captain. The top six positions were sealed after the completion of the Tour Championship, which was the final playoff of the FedEx Cup.

Following the automatic picks, Johnson’s picks are Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns, Rickie Fowler, and Justin Thomas. Now that the captain’s picks are public, a discussion surrounded one of the most debated picks of all – Brooks Koepka. Let’s see what Johnson had to say about it.

Did LIV Golf politics matter behind Brooks Koepka’s pick?

In the announcement show, with Golf Today, Zach Johnson received a question about the thought process that went into picking Brooks Koepka. The question focused on whether the LIV Golf politics factored into Johnson’s decision.

Johnson did not give a straight answer to the question. He did not address the LIV Golf aspect at all and went on to talk about what did factor into this decision. His answer implied that the LIV Golf aspect did not weigh into this decision.

“What figured in my decision-making was trying to pick six gentlemen that earned their way whole.” He further explained why Koepka was an easy pick. “When it comes to BK, his experience, his temperament, the way he goes about his work, his passion for the Ryder Cup all spoke volumes.”

Zach Johnson’s answer emphasized that there was neither an inclination nor reluctance toward picking him. He tried to register strongly that this was purely a logical and analytical decision and not political at all. “He basically earned his spot on the team. It was an easy pick. These guys wanted him. I wanted him. And a very natural fit.”

Read more: Mere Hours After Wife Jena Sims’ Shocking Teaser, Brooks Koepka’s Ryder Cup Destiny Sees a Massive Upheaval, Per Viral Report

Although Johnson announced the picks only recently, word already got about Koepka’s entry into the Ryder Cup team. Here is a recap of how that happened. 

Wife Jena Sims gave it away

A few days back, Jena Sims, had shared a picture of Koepka eating pizza out of a plate with the US flag on it. She captioned it “Foreshadowing?“ and added Italian flags to the caption. Her Instagram story sort of played the role of an unofficial announcement of Koepka’s pick. 

Do you think Koepka deserved to be on the team? Let us know in the comments below.

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