Ryder Cup 2023: Brooks Koepka waiting on US pick as Solheim and Walker Cups also loom
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Brooks Koepka (second from right) contributed two points as the US team trounced Europe 19-9 in 2021
Brooks Koepka will need a captain's wildcard if he is to retain his place in the US Ryder Cup team.
The 33-year-old US PGA Championship winner, who plays on the breakaway LIV tour, slipped out of the top six automatic spots on the final weekend of the qualifying process.
Captain Zach Johnson knows half of his team after a pivotal week in the golf season. The door also shut on automatic eligibility for Europe's Solheim Cup team while the Great Britain and Ireland, and US sides for next month's Walker Cup have been finalised.
Since it became clear that Americans playing on the LIV tour could still represent their country in the Ryder Cup, Koepka has appeared nailed on for a place in the team.
LIV tournaments are not recognised in the qualifying process but by finishing runner-up to Jon Rahm at the Masters and then winning his fifth major at Oak Hill, Koepka seemed to have done enough in those two events alone.
But Max Homa finished joint fifth at last week's BMW Championship to secure an automatic berth for his debut in the US defence of the trophy against Europe in Rome next month.
"I told Zach last year I was kissing up to him, but then he also said, 'Well, I'd like to not have to pick you', and I said all right, there's my promise, I'll try to get an automatic," Homa said.
Xander Schauffele also leapfrogged Koepka to join world number one Scottie Scheffler, recent major winners Wyndham Clark (US Open) and Brian Harman (The Open) and Patrick Cantlay in automatically qualifying.
It would be a highly controversial snub if Johnson were to overlook Koepka, with whom he shared a practice round at last month's Open at Hoylake. But the US skipper has been lukewarm on LIV players throughout his tenure.
"It's hard because I'm not able to witness what they're doing and see their form, with the exception of four events a year," Johnson told the Subpar podcast. "What Brooks has done this year, well no-one's surprised. I'm just glad he's healthy."
In such a bitter golfing year, the presence of a LIV player in the American line-up will still be contentious. Golf Channel pundit Brandel Chamblee has been a consistent critic of LIV's Saudi funding.
The former tour pro also believes the US would be stronger without Koepka. "In making this team more cohesive, being all on point, and pointing in the right direction, Brooks Koepka missing would be good for this team," he said.
In reality, Koepka, who has been on the winning side in two of his three appearances, seems assured of a spot but is likely to be the only breakaway player on show, even though Bryson DeChambeau fired a 58 to win the recent LIV event at the Greenbrier by six shots.
"I don't expect anything," DeChambeau said. "I'll be rooting them on if I'm not there."
More likely on 29 August there will be selections for the likes of Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Keegan Bradley, Sam Burns, Rickie Fowler, Lucas Glover, Russell Henley, Tony Finau, Cameron Young or the out-of-form Justin Thomas.
Of those, Thomas and Young miss the 30-man season finale Tour Championship this week at East Lake in Atlanta. Scheffler will have the advantage of starting 10 under par for leading the current standings.
The next three spots are held by Europeans after Viktor Hovland's brilliant win in Chicago last Sunday, thanks to a sensational course record 61 in the final round which pipped Scheffler and a battling Matt Fitzpatrick.
Hovland, second in the standings, begins the final event at eight under. Third-placed Rory McIlroy will start at seven under, harbouring hopes of a record fourth Tour Championship. Rahm lies fourth and will start at six under.
In the Ryder Cup context, Europe captain Luke Donald should feel encouraged by such prominent positioning in the climax to the American season.
Donald, though, cannot select any golfers who are not members of the DP World Tour - ruling out the likes of Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter.
Of those, only Garcia stood a realistic chance because Rahm was keen to renew their all-Spanish partnership, one of the few bright sparks from Europe's record 19-9 drubbing at Whistling Straits two years ago.
Europe's qualifying period ends on 3 September after the European Masters in Switzerland. Donald will announce his six wildcards the following day.
For Solheim skipper Suzann Pettersen, the choices are already being made. For the trophy defence at Finca Cortesin in Spain next month, Europe's captain has impressive strength in her eight automatic qualifiers.
Celine Boutier and Maja Stark are joined by Charley Hull, Leona Maguire, Georgia Hall, Linn Grant, Carlota Ciganda and Anna Nordqvist. The four wildcards are announced on Tuesday.
Britons Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Gemma Dryburgh will be among those under consideration by the Norwegian captain.
There is an extraordinary spell of team golf on the horizon with not just the Solheim and Ryder Cups in consecutive weeks at the end of next month. There is also the Walker Cup at St Andrews on 2 and 3 of September.
The Great Britain and Ireland team are bidding to win the trophy for the first time since 2015.
The 10 players include John Gough, who is the top European at 11th in the world amateur golf rankings, and Barclay Brown, who made the cut at the 150th Open at St Andrews last year and will make his second appearance in the event.
The other eight in captain Stewart Wilson's side are James Ashfield, Jack Bigham, Connor Graham, Alex Maguire, Matthew McClean, Liam Nolan, Mark Power and Calum Scott.
The American side features eight of the top 10 in the world rankings, including newly crowned US Amateur champion Nick Dunlap and the big-hitting number one Gordon Sargent.
Mike McCoy's team also features David Ford, Caleb Surratt, Nick Gabrelcik, Austin Greaser, Stewart Hagestad, Ben James, Dylan Menante and Preston Summerhays.