Justin Thomas has made the Ryder Cup team despite having the worst year of his PGA Tour career.
Justin Thomas’ Ryder Cup selection prompts viscerally divisive reactions from fans
Justin Thomas has made the Ryder Cup team, a controversial move which has created divisive reactions among fans.
Jack Milko has been playing golf since he was five years old. He has yet to record a hole-in-one, but he did secure an M.A. in Sports Journalism from St. Bonaventure University.
This season, Thomas missed the cut at three major championships, failed to make the weekend at three other events, and did not even qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs.
“Obviously, form is a part of our decision-making process; there are a number of elements in that process, and form is one of them,” U.S. Captain Zach Johnson said Tuesday.
“But so is fit for the golf course, fit for the team room, experience, and in my mind, when you are talking about [Thomas] specifically, he has passion and full confidence in [the Ryder Cup]. He is where he belongs.”
Johnson picked Thomas because of his outstanding Ryder Cup record, his experience playing well on European soil, and because he gets along well with seemingly everyone on the American team.
Thomas led Team USA with four points at the 2018 Ryder Cup, the last time the competition was held in Europe.
But Thomas’ selection to the team came at the expense of Keegan Bradley and Lucas Glover, two veterans who have had terrific seasons and longed to make the team.
These two players, as well as other Ryder Cup candidates, have performed much better than Thomas this season. Both Bradley and Glover even made it to the Tour Championship.
So unsurprisingly, this pick has created plenty of controversy among golf fans online:
But some reactions for Thomas’ selection to the team were positive:
And, of course, many fans advocated for Bradley’s place on the team as opposed to Thomas:
Do you think Thomas should have made the 2023 Ryder Cup roster? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
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