Zach Johnson Explains Why He Didn't Call Bryson DeChambeau Over Ryder Cup

With only six wildcard picks, it was inevitable that some players would be disappointed with being left out of Zach Johnson’s US Ryder Cup team.

However, while some - including Keegan Bradley - could take comfort in knowing they had come close enough to warrant a phone call from Johnson to tell them the news, for others, that wasn’t the case.

One player who didn't hear from Johnson was Bryson DeChambeau, and, after his LIV Golf Chicago win, he criticised him, saying: “It would have been nice to have a call" after his Ryder Cup snub.

The 30-year-old has certainly had a good year. Before his win in Chicago, he also finished T4 in the PGA Championship and claimed victory at the LIV Golf Greenbrier tournament, which included a round of 58.

However, none of DeChambeau’s LIV Golf performances counted towards the US Ryder Cup points list, which negatively affected his standing on it, where he eventually finished 54th. 

As Johnson makes his final preparations for the match at Marco Simone, he explained that DeChambeau was too far down the list to warrant a call. He said: “We have a points system within The PGA of America, within the Ryder Cup USA. It's pretty evident that of how you garner points and which tournaments can accumulate points.

"I have my own, probably, a top 30, but when it got down towards the end of the process, it was the top 20, the top 25 guys in that point system that I felt like had the merit and certainly, well, should have my full attention."

Johnson also said the players in that category were the only ones he gave serious consideration to for his wildcard picks. He continued: “That's where I was. I was basically in the top 20, top 25 guys in points when it came down to formulating this Team USA.”

That helps explain the inclusion of the sole LIV golfer in the team, PGA Champion Brooks Koepka, who finished just one place beneath the automatic qualifying positions in seventh, thanks largely to his win at Oak Hill and runner-up finish in The Masters at Augusta National.

It’s unclear whether Johnson’s explanation will cut any ice with DeChambeau, who also said after his win at Rich Harvest Farms: “There's numerous people that I think Zach should have called out here, and we didn't get that. I understand, I get it, but we're nothing different. We're still competing. We're still working super-hard to be the best we possibly can be.”

He added: “I personally think that given the way I played this week, I could have definitely racked up some points for Team USA.”

While we’ll never know how well DeChambeau would have played in the match, Johnson insisted he’s happy with the team he has. He said: “I understand the end result can go a number of different ways, but when it comes down to it, I'm confident in the 12 guys I have make the best team for Team USA this year, and it really is that simple.”