“I can’t make that decision” - Brooks Koepka expresses wish to play in the Ryder Cup

There is no clarity over the participation of the LIV Golf players in the Ryder Cup. Since the inception of the breakaway league, players associated with it have faced suspensions from PGA Tour events.

The LIV-associated players were allowed to play in The Masters and secured three of the top 6 spots in the first major of the year. While Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson finished runner-up, Patrick Reed ended up tied for 4th place at Augusta National.

While speaking to Sydney Morning Herald during the recently held LIV Golf Adelaide event, Brooks Koepka expressed his desire to play in the upcoming event in September.

"I have no idea [on his eligibility] and it’s not up to me so I can’t make that decision. But if they choose us, we’ll be ready to go," Koepka told the Sydney Morning Herald.

It's not just Koepka, two-time major champion Dustin Johnson has also talked about his interest in playing in the Rome event later this year.

He told the Herald:

"I would love to, absolutely. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed playing and in the last Ryder Cup I played pretty well. It’s one of my favourite events to play in."

Koepka, Johnson, and other LIV golfers are eligible to feature in the 12-man team for the Ryder Cup as they are still associate members of the PGA of America via playing on the PGA Tour. Although they have defected to the PIF Sponsored Circuit, their membership will remain until July 2024, as per the organization's grace period rule.

LIV players are still not in the top six of the US players to get the automatic qualification for the biennial event. Brooks Koepka, who is USA's No. 17, is the highest-ranked USA player in the LIV Golf. Mickelson is at 22nd followed by Johnson at 30th and Reed at 34th.

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Ryder Cup 2023 details

The Ryder Cup will be played in Italy for the first time

The 2023 Ryder Cup will take place from September 29 to October 1 at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club outside Rome, Italy. Italy will host the event for the first time.

Named after English businessman Samuel Ryder, the biennial event is played between teams from Europe and the United States, with the host nation alternating between the two.

The first official Ryder Cup took place in 1927 in the United States, with the home team emerging victorious. It was initially played between Great Britain and the US but was later decided to expand its representation to the whole of Europe.

The expansion of the representation was reflected in the results as well. The results were lopsided in the US's favor until 1977 with them winning 18 in comparison to Britain's three. However, since 1979, it has been more neck-to-neck with Europe getting the better of the US 11 times while the latter has won it nine times.

The most recent Ryder Cup was held at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wisconsin, United States from September 24 to 26, 2021. With a score of 19-9, the hosts beat Europe, recording the largest margin of victory in the event's recent history.