HOYLAKE, England — Justin Thomas may be struggling with his game, but it hasn’t scared U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson from wanting him on his 12-man team to represent the Stars and Stripes in Rome in late September. Johnson called him “one of the best there is,” among American Ryder Cup players.
“As a friend and roommate, I’m concerned just because he’s my buddy and I know what he’s capable of and that sort of thing,” Johnson said on Friday after his second round at the British Open at Royal Liverpool. “I might be slightly concerned, like I said, as a friend, but I’m not worried about him because I know what he does and I know what he’s capable of.”
Thomas, 30, is mired in the worst slump of his career. He is winless since last year’s PGA Championship and is in danger of failing to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs after missing the cut at the British Open. Thomas shot an opening-round 11-over 82, tying his worst score of his PGA Tour career, and signed for 71 on Friday.
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“Making two doubles and a quad, that’s eight year old, nine-year old kind of stuff, not someone who’s trying to win a British Open. You just can’t do stuff like that,” he said. “But I’ll be good.”
That followed an 81 in the second round of the U.S. Open last month, and marks the third of four majors this year that Thomas had the weekend off. Thomas likely will need to play the 3M Open next week and depending on his performance, the Wyndham Championship, which is the final FedEx Cup regular-season event – only the top 70 qualify for the playoffs and he entered the week No. 75.
“I want to make the Ryder Cup more than anything,” Thomas said. “I’m probably honestly trying too hard to do it. It reminds me a lot of my first or second year on Tour. I’ve tried so hard to make that team for the first time. I’m in a very similar position. I’ve been trying to make it easy on Zach and get in the top six, but I seem to not want to do that with my golf. Have a couple events left to try to get in the playoffs and then make a little bit of a run and try to prove a point.”
Nevertheless, Johnson remained resolute that Thomas, who has been a stalwart on the last two Ryder Cup teams and a deadly combo with Jordan Spieth, would be on the team regardless of his recent form. Thomas is 6-2-1 in his two Ryder Cups, the best record of any American golfer to play in at least two, and…
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