Brooks Koepka’s fifth major is the latest evidence that he should be added to Team USA at Ryder Cup

Brooks Koepka’s win at the PGA Championship puts him in second place in the Ryder Cup standings for the U.S. team, with pressure mounting for him to be a captain’s pick.

Brooks Koepka didn’t just overcome his final day nerves to win his third PGA Championship trophy, he made it into the five-majors club, also becoming the first LIV Golf player to win a major.

Only three golfers of his millennium can claim that many titles, with the 33-year-old just behind Tiger Woods (15) and his LIV golf peer Phil Mickelson (6). Although Mickelson remains the oldest golfer to achieve a major — at 50 two years ago at the PGA — and a maverick competitor who still manages to thrill, as he did by tying Koepka in second place at The Masters last month, you could argue that Woods’ and Mickelson’s best playing days are behind them, at least in the case of Woods, for the most part.

A healthy Brooks Koepka will likely add to his majors haul.

The fact that Koepka plays for another tour now — the renegade LIV league — has not diminished his presence in golf. Having recovered from his debilitating knee injuries that stalled his momentum after winning his second PGA Championship in 2019, the five-time major winner has slowly built back his game while on the LIV tour, one of the few players to have won two LIV titles, including Orlando earlier this year.

For two majors in a row, Koepka’s been in strong form. His second place at The Masters combined with his triumph at Oak Hill cements him in the second place of the Ryder Cup standings.

So why hasn’t Koepka been chosen yet?

“I can’t answer that,” was Team USA captain Zach Johnson’s answer, according to the BBC. “I’ll say this: The guys that are on the PGA Tour that make that team, they have direct ownership in that collectively.

“So for me to stand here and say that I would feel comfortable or uncomfortable with it would be irresponsible because it’s not my team.”

Ryder Cup 2023: Brooks Koepka has more than earned his place on Team USA

With more LIV golfers placing in the top 4 of The Masters than the PGA, and Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in the Top 4 at the PGA Championship, the argument that LIV Golf only features “washed-up” players doesn’t seem to have much merit. Additionally, three players placed in the Top 10 at Rochester, with Cameron Smith complimenting Koepka and DeChambeau.

Combined with the highly competitive performances from Mickelson and Patrick Reed at The Masters just a few weeks ago, the pressure is also mounting for the OWGR to accurately reflect the best golfers in the world.

It’s great to have all the world-class golfers competing together in the majors, and when it comes to the competition of the Ryder Cup, choosing participants transcends the tours, at least that point was debated by golf commentators Brandel Chamblee and Brad Faxon.

As one European captain was quoted, “Imagine if Europe wins when it’s obvious the US team didn’t have their strongest team?”

For that matter, recent performances from golfers Mickelson, Reed and DeChambeau should make them potential picks. Certainly, most would still consider Dustin Johnson one of the greatest current golfers around. The argument for not including these players is becoming more difficult to justify.

But perhaps some compromise can be worked out. One of the players who eagerly congratulated Koepka was Rory McIlroy, the previously eager mouthpiece for the PGA Tour, who wrapped Brooks Koepka in a bear hug after he won his third Wanamaker Trophy.

Let’s hope we’ll continue to see more of this than the rancor that most golf fans are sick of.

The U.S. team hasn’t beaten Europe since 1993, something that was on Scottie Scheffler’s mind when he gave his frank admission after Koepka’s win at the PGA Championship.

“Well, I wanna win the Ryder Cup. I don’t care about tours or anything like that,” Scheffler said via SB Nation. “Something we talked about—I guess it was like a year and a half ago—was that we want to beat those guys in Europe.”

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