“I got sick watching them so we're all square”: Zach Johnson trolled by Golf fans for ‘early excuses’ after being schooled by Team Europe

It was a tough Friday for Zach Johnson. He had to watch his players get schooled by the Europeans in the Ryder Cup. Moreover, he also had to appear before the press to give an explanation, which did not convince many of the fans.

In the eight matches played on the opening day, the Americans halved three and lost five. According to Zach Johnson, there were health problems in the team, and he even thanked the team for having a "team doctor".

Judging by the reaction of the fans, the explanation was not enough for them. Some accused the captain of making excuses to somehow explain the team's poor performance.

Let's take a look at some of the posts on social network X following Zach Johnson's statements:

"I got sick watching them--so we're all square"

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What did Zach Johnson say about the first date of the 2023 Ryder Cup?

Without giving many details, Zach Johnson explained that several members of the team, including players and caddies, have had "some congestion." He avoided naming names, saying the players were "fighting."

This was part of what Zach Johnson said, according to Golfweek:

“There’s been some unforeseen things that we’ve had to navigate around, which is really unfortunate, in the sense of health. It’s not an excuse, because we have depth, but I’ll just say, I’m grateful we have a team doctor."

He continued:

“We’re just fighting things, I mean, internally. It’s kind of passed around a little bit, caddies, players. It is what it is. But it’s nothing more than that. Guys are fighting and playing regardless. I mean, it’s not anything that’s kind of weighed us down because of the depth we have and because of the many options we think we have.”

He added:

“We have got some congestion and some just signs of things that are unfortunate. It’s one of those where sometimes the energy is probably a little low, but the ability and desire to go out and play is still there. That’s what we are weighing. Every one of them still wants to play every match, which is encouraging."

This Saturday, the United States will tee off in the second round of foursomes for the 2023 Ryder Cup, with Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas taking on Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood. Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka will repeat as a team against Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg.

Another repeating duo is Max Homa and Brian Harman, who will face Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka. Finally, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele will take on Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton.