Brooks Koepka Selected to 2023 Ryder Cup

Tallahassee, Fla. (Seminoles.com) - Florida State Alum, 2023 PGA Championship winner, and five-time major champion Brooks Koepka has been selected to the 2023 Ryder Cup U.S. Team. The biennial event will be played Sept. 29-Oct. 1 at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Italy.

U.S. Team Captain Zach Johnson chose Koepka as one of his six picks allowed as a captain.

Let's go boys, defend the Cup?????? https://t.co/bsZiBkhu5m
— Brooks Koepka (@BKoepka) August 29, 2023

"(Koepka) earned his way onto the team, "Johnson said. "Brooks is great in the team room, great inside the ropes. These guys wanted him. I wanted him. A very natural fit."

Koepka will make his fourth debut as a Ryder Cup member, having played on the U.S. Team in 2016, 2018, and 2021, earning a 6-5-1 combined record along with two team victories.

Inside of his winning record, Koepka is undefeated when it comes to Sunday Singles. With two matches won and only one tied, he joins Justin Thomas as one of only two team members to hold two victories in Singles match play.

When asked about his consistent Singles play, Koepka reiterated the importance of being a part of a team.

"I think it's just playing for something bigger than yourself," said Koepka.

"You don't want to let the other guys on the team down. It's a fun event. The most nervous I've ever been in a golf tournament was teeing it up at the Ryder Cup. I've enjoyed it and every time I've played, I just try to go get a point for the team."

Koepka faced an uphill battle when it came to his physical health over the last two years, making this selection even more of a triumph in his career.

After sustaining a torn patella tendon in 2019, a hip injury in 2020, and a knee injury in the spring of 2021, Koepka had to rebuild from the ground up. Continuous months of physical therapy paired with pre- and post-round rehab routine was the schedule Koepka faced that eventually led to his recovery.

"The last few years have been a lot, but at the same time, that's what I've been grinding for," Koepka said at his recent media availability.

As Captain Johnson calls it, the biggest stage in golf is a three-day tournament consisting of 28 matches. Of the 12 players on both Team USA and Team Europe, each member of a two-man team will compete in Four-Ball, Foursomes, and Singles matches. Each match is worth one point, with a tie awarding each side a half point.

The first team to reach 14 ½ points wins the Ryder Cup. Given that there are no extra holes in the event, a tie between the two teams will result in the previous winner (in this case, the U.S.) retaining the Cup.

The U.S. Team is composed of automatic qualifiers World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark, Open Championship winner Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa, and Xander Schauffele. Johnson comprised the other half of the Ryder Cup Team using his six captain's picks, selecting Koepka, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns, and Rickie Fowler.

The 12-man team is made up of eight veterans and four rookies who are making their Ryder Cup debut. Fowler and Spieth hold the highest seniority, as next month's event will be their fifth appearance in the Ryder Cup..

Spieth, Thomas, and Koepka each have earned a high profile when it comes to the Ryder Cup due to their winning records in all combined appearances. Spieth was the first of the trio to make his Cup debut in 2014, earning an 8-7-3 record over his four appearances. Koepka joined Spieth for three consecutive U.S. Teams after being selected to the Cup in 2016. Thomas made his debut in 2018 and has since held a 6-2-1 record.

Those who have competed in the Ryder Cup have totaled a 34-22-13 record over the course of their appearances.

Although the U.S. Team holds a 27-14-2 winning record over Europe, with their most recent victory occurring in 2021 at Whistling Straits, 19-9, the U.S. hasn't won a Ryder Cup on European soil since 1993.

As for Team Europe, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, and Tyrrell Hatton are the four members confirmed due to automatic qualification through points on the European Points List and the World Points List.

Tommy Fleetwood is set to occupy the final spot on the World Points List and Robert MacIntyre looks to cement his third and final spot on the European Points List to be locked into the Ryder Cup European team.

Captain Luke Donald of Team Europe will showcase his six captain's picks on Monday, September 4th.

The Ryder Cup will be televised on Golf Channel and NBC.

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