Why Zach Johnson Needs To Gamble On Justin Thomas To Get Back Into The Ryder Cup

After all the hype, the 2023 Ryder Cup is in danger of becoming a bit of a non-event before it’s really got going. 

All the noise here in Rome came from the home fans as Luke Donald’s side swept the Friday morning foursomes, decimating an American line-up that threw up some surprises.

Zach Johnson’s charges looked nervous from the get-go under the intense pressure and heat of the supercharged biennial dust-up at Marco Simone Golf Club. 

In fact, from the 64 holes played, only 10 were won by Team USA as they made a raft of uncharacteristic and unforced errors that gifted their opponents a hefty early lead. Perhaps even more alarming was the fact the visitors only made 13 birdies.

The 4-0 deficit and the manner of it has left Johnson with a team selection problem, as very few of his players seem to be in the kind of form required to defend the famous gold trophy. 

In the top match, Sam Burns was like an anchor tied around Scottie Scheffler’s ankles as they came up against the juggernaut pairing of Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, who navigated the 15 holes played in six-under. It's no surprise he's been dropped for the fourballs; we may not see him again until Sunday. 

The decision to blood two debutants in Max Homa and Brian Harman in the second game also didn’t work. Homa, who starred in his first Presidents Cup last year, and Harman, the Open champion, were one-over through 15 when they shook hands with Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg.

Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa were equally disappointing at one-over through 17, while Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay scored the best against the card of the Americans, but it wasn’t good enough to deny Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood and halt the European momentum.

Where now, then, for Johnson?

With four Major champions in reserve, it’s no surprise to see they’ve all been given the nod for the afternoon fourballs. Whether that was always the plan is a moot point, but given how the Friday morning session panned out, a rethink might be required for Saturday.

While they might be out of form, the pairing of Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas is the kind which can ignite and spark a comeback. There are certainly enough American fans here to feed off and shift the momentum emanating around the course if they do.

No matter what you think of him, Thomas, in particular, is a showman and a natural leader who can rally the troops like few others. It’s for these qualities, as much as anything else, that he was picked. 

We’ve seen in the past how the Ryder Cup can bring someone who is struggling back to life, and taking the gamble to lead with Thomas in the remaining sessions might be what’s required if Johnson wants to haul his side back into contention.