The 2023 Ryder Cup will be the first without Dustin Johnson since 2014 when he took a leave of absence from golf – he automatically qualified for a spot on that team.
Johnson is one of several golfers who made the controversial move to LIV Golf, and he says that played a role into not being selected for the 2023 U.S. squad.
The two-time major champion admitted that he has not “really played that well this year” but thinks he played well enough.
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Dustin Johnson of the United States reacts on the 12th green during Sunday Singles Matches of the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits on September 26, 2021, in Kohler, Wisconsin. (Maddie Meyer/PGA of America/PGA of America via Getty Images)
“I would love to be a part of the team,” Johnson told the Palm Beach Post. “But to be honest, I haven’t really played that well this year. But have I played well enough to be on the team? Yeah. I didn’t have the best year. Was it good enough to make the team? I think so.”
“Do I think I can help the U.S. team? Absolutely.”
Johnson is a Ryder Cup veteran, playing in five and winning two (he’s also played in four Presidents Cups, each of which he’s come away victorious). In 2021 at Whistling Straits, the same place he was assessed a two-stroke penalty that cost him the 2010 PGA Championship, he became the first American since Larry Nelson in 1979 to go 5-0-0 in tournament play.
But this year, he’s out, and he thinks his participation in LIV is a main reason for it.
“If I would have been playing on [the PGA Tour], yeah, I would have made the team.”
Dustin Johnson of the United States reacts on the 16th green during Saturday Morning Foursome Matches of the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits on September 25, 2021, in Kohler, Wisconsin. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
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Johnson had five top-10 finishes in 11 LIV events this year, but it’s apparent that didn’t matter much.
If he stayed on the tour, it’s not one bit out of the question he could have had another automatic qualification. But he was only able to earn points in majors, in which he did not perform well.
He did finish tied for 10th at the U.S. Open, but he missed the cut at The Open and finished T48 and T55 at the Masters and PGA Championship, respectively. Brooks Koepka, the lone LIV golfer in the Ryder Cup, finished T2 at the Masters and won the PGA Championship for a third time (it was his fifth major).
“If I would have played a little better at the majors, I think I definitely would have had a really good chance to be on the team,” Johnson said. “But just struggled a little bit in the majors this year, which happens.”
Johnson currently ranks 40th in points among U.S. players – the top six automatically qualify, and captain Zach Johnson picks six others. Koepka is seventh, yet he also selected 15th-ranked Justin Thomas, who performed worse than Johnson at all the majors. Thomas missed three cuts and finished T65 at the PGA Championship.
Dustin Johnson of the United States celebrates with champagne after defeating Team Europe during Sunday Singles Matches of the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits on September 26, 2021, in Kohler, Wisconsin. (Warren Little/Getty Images)
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The Ryder Cup begins on Sept. 29 just outside Rome. The United States is looking for its first victory on European soil since 1993.
