Brad Faxon Says Justin Thomas Not Currently In Ryder Cup Reckoning

Brad Faxon says Justin Thomas has a month to convince Zach Johnson he's turning his form around otherwise he'll miss the Ryder Cup

Brad Faxon thinks Justin Thomas will struggle to make the Ryder Cup
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Paul Higham
By Paul Higham
published

Brad Faxon says Justin Thomas needs to show Zach Johnson that he's turning his form around in the final month of qualification in order to salvage a spot in the Ryder Cup team.

Thomas is currently lying in 14th spot in the Team USA Ryder Cup standings - with only the top six qualifying automatically before Johnson selects his six wildcards.

And Thomas, who has missed the cut in three of the four Majors, is struggling for form after his career-worst Major round of 82 at Royal Liverpool.

The two-time Major champion is now playing two extra events - the 3M Open and Wyndham Championship - to get up from 75th into the top 70 and make the FedEx Cup playoffs.

And Faxon feels that only a big improvement in his form can help him get onto the team heading to Rome in September.

Asked whether he thought Thomas was going to make the Ryder Cup team as it stands, Faxon told Sirius XM Radio: "I don't think he is."

"I'm looking at the list of players that are in front of him - how do you not pick Rickie Fowler who is in 12th?

"Keegan Bradley who won the Travelers is in 10th - how do you just decide that Justin is going to leapfrog over those guys without some good play?

"It would be very hard to just put him ahead of some of these players who are in that seventh to 13th spot - you look at Max Homa, Cameron Young and Spieth they're in seven, eight and nine.

"Do you put Justin ahead of them just because he has a desire to play?"

Thomas does have a superb Ryder Cup record and Faxon does believe that Thomas could find his way into the team if he can find some form.

And that could actually work better for him if he went to Rome while riding a hot streak - but he's quickly running out of time and tournaments. 

"Justin Thomas has four tournaments - he has a month to show Zach Johnson 'look I'm turning this around, my back is up against the wall, I want to make that team'.

"Think about sports that have wildcards - football, baseball, how often those trending teams play so well - because they're playing well at the end of the season."

Paul Higham
Paul Higham
Contributor

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website.  Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush. 

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