Brandel Chamblee Says Brooks Koepka Shouldn't Be on U.S. Ryder Cup Team
Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee said that Brooks Koepka should not be on the U.S. Ryder Cup team that faces Europe next month in Italy.
Koepka, who won the PGA Championship and tied for second at the Masters, is currently fifth in the U.S. standings with this week’s BMW Championship the last opportunity for players to qualify for one of the six automatic spots.
As a member of the LIV Golf League, Koepka is not eligible for this week’s tournament.
Chamblee, who's had issues with Koepka in the past and have a harsh critic of LIV Golf due to its Saudia Arabia backing and the country’s human rights issues, said Kopeka “is bad for the (Ryder Cup) team,’’ during a Golf Channel pre-game show on Thursday.
“Koepka being at the Ryder Cup, regardless of what he does, will not be about whether it will be great for the United States or the Ryder Cup,’’ Chamblee said. “In making this team more cohesive, being on point, and pointing in the right direction, Brooks Koepka missing this team would be good for this team.’’
Depending on what happens this weekend at the BMW Championship, Koepka could be bumped out of one of the automatic spots. But he’s long been expected to be one of captain Zach Johnson’s six picks, especially if he finishes so high despite being able to earn points only in the major championships this year.
Koepka is 6-5-1 in two Ryder Cup appearances and has the experience of having played a road Ryder Cup in Paris in 2018. The U.S. team has not won overseas since 1993. And his PGA win was his fifth major title, more than any active player other than Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.
And despite the angst that has existed since LIV Golf launched last year, Koepka has generally been received amicably among PGA Tour players, many of whom practice with him in South Florida.
Due to a loophole, Americans who compete on LIV Golf are eligible for the Ryder Cup because they retain PGA of America membership through next June.
“Koepka being on the Ryder Cup is a referendum of LIV,’’ Chamblee said. “It will be nothing else. It will be non-stop tweets from bots and everyone that supports LIV about how great this is for LIV, more than about being about the Ryder Cup, more than the philanthropic aspect of the PGA Tour or the PGA of America.’’
Since Koepka won the PGA Championship, the PGA Tour entered into a “framework agreement’’ with the DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, which backs LIV Golf. While a final agreement is far away, much of the idea was to end the acrimony created and foster peace.
Other LIV Golfer members who hope to be considered for the U.S. team include Bryson DeChambeau, who recently shot 58 in winning the LIV Greenbrier event; Talor Gooch, who won three times this year in the LIV Golf League; and Dustin Johnson, who two years ago went 5-0 for the U.S. team in its victory at Whistling Straits.
But Zach Johnson will have numerous choices to fill out the squad, including the likes of Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Cameron Young, Keegan Bradley, Lucas Glover, Max Homa, Justin Thomas and Tony Finau. Johnson will be make his six picks on Aug. 29.
“Koepka missing this team would also open up a spot for Zach Johnson,’’ Chamblee said. “It would open a spot for Justin Thomas or Lucas Glover.’’