Brooks Koepka should be on Team USA for the Ryder Cup, but might not be. Photo: USA Today/Adam Cairns
As soon as Brooks Koepka tied the ribbon on his fifth major title, the question of his professional allegiance was raised again. Within the cozy walls of the Golf Channel studio, Brad Faxon, one of the most meek figures you could ever hope to meet in the game, emphasized that the man who won the PGA USA Championship three times in six years should by no means, by ordinary logic, be a run for Ryder Cup. «They don't gamble,» he said. «They play for their country.»
With the exception of Brandel Chumbley, the pundit who openly opposed Koepka's merger with LIV Golf and everything the Saudi-backed breakaway stands for, rejected the proposal with thinly veiled contempt. «They're not performing for their tour?» he replied incredulously. «Of course, there is a feeling that the Europeans are playing for their tour.» «They're playing golf,» Faxon replied deadpan before they exchanged awkward, murderous looks.
It was a perfect illustration of the irresolvable rift caused by the injection of massive Saudi wealth. On the one hand, you have those who see LIV as an irremediably devalued enterprise, infecting everyone and everything it touches. On the other hand, there are those who advocate the prerogative of the best golfers as independent contractors to participate in any tour that will bring them the greatest financial benefit. And in the middle you have someone like Faxon, who initially expressed concern about LIV's talent theft, but now finds it inappropriate to call for Cap to be eligible for the Ryder Cup.
Faxon's argument deserves attention. The PGA of America, which hosts the Ryder Cup, is unlikely to be too enthusiastic about the idea of Cap, who has won as many majors as Sev Ballesteros and in less time, missing out on the fall contest in Rome, where Zach Johnson's team is desperately trying to get a first win. on European soil for 30 years. This is an event that has traditionally been about best versus best, and where home advantage is damn hard to reverse due to the power of national pride on display.
The Ryder Cup, as Faxon emphasizes, is an area that should have nothing to do with money. He played in 1997, witnessing firsthand the hurricane of Spanish passion that Ballesteros called forth as captain in Valderrama. Why should Koepka be excluded from this standard? He is the best player on the planet having led both majors this season. He thrives under maximum pressure, impervious—as he demonstrated all too clearly in Oak Hill—to any hostility from the mob. He has enough experience to convince Johnson to make him his first wild card, even though he is only 13th in the official world golf rankings due to his refusal to recognize LIV.
Dustin Johnson is another LIV player who is good enough to make Team USA. Photo: USA TODAY/Joey Johnson
However, Chambly doesn't want to hear about it. He sees Kepka as an accomplice in a nefarious project, a willing pawn of the Saudi regime that must accept the consequences of making such a diabolical pact. At the beginning of LIV, I could sympathize with this point of view. After all, the Saudis weren't just investing in golf, they were trying to aggressively annex an entire sport. Both the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour quickly blacklisted the rebels, realizing they needed to protect the integrity of their businesses. But at what point does such a position cease to be principled, but more stupid and pernicious?
In the situation with Koepka, we can say that this moment has come. Whatever happens from here, the only casualty is the Ryder Cup itself. If it is excluded, then the competition loses the right to be celebrated as the highest duel in golf. But equally, if a loophole is created for the participation of American LIV renegades, the party in Rome threatens to be hopelessly one-sided. The Europeans have already ripped out the spiritual heart of their team, suspending Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey and Henrik Stenson indefinitely for chasing the Saudi riyal. If the Americans take a different path, including Koepka along with their galaxy of young stars, the imbalance of power could be frightening.
Clearly, the DP world tour cracked down just as hard as it did the rebels. . Ultimately, Westwood and the others were denied entry to the first two LIV tournaments, but played them anyway. Such disobedience required punishment. But you can't help but wonder if the Europeans might shoot themselves in the foot by extending this tough stance to the Ryder Cup. If Kepka plays, the September match at the Marco Simone club will start to look absurdly uneven. It would be a high price to pay to politicize an event that is supposed to be the exact opposite of self-interest. For over a year now, the LIV has been causing so much outrage in golf. Yet some Americans, judging by Faxon's remarks, are beginning to feel a certain resentment fatigue. And if that means giving Koepka a free pass, it might only be to their advantage.
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