Zach Johnson responds to “boos” by leaving Brooks Koepka out of Ryder Cup pairings.

The boisterous crowd at the Marco Simone course booed briefly during Brooks Koepka’s Ryder Cup introduction, and minutes later his name was left off the list for the first session.

At the Ryder Cup opening ceremony, LIV Golf rebel Brooks Koepka appeared to be booed by spectators, but Team USA captain Zach Johnson doesn’t think he’ll be too bothered.

Jordan Spieth and Koepka weren’t included in the fourballs for the first round, so Koepka was left out in the cold.
Given Koepka’s skill and the fact that he is one of the biggest names on the Team USA roster, the decision was unexpected because the biggest names typically leave early to make room for rookies or younger players.

Johnson, however, was quick to deny any claims that his choice was influenced by the performance of one of his players.
He argued that he was only trying to keep everyone energized for the remaining four sessions.

Johnson was left to speak to the press alone after the opening ceremony because his US teammates chose not to do so.
In his press conference, Johnson stated: “The gist of it is we have 12 guys, unfortunately I can’t play all 12 each session, someone has to sit.
I believe it’s ideal to avoid playing everyone during all five sessions because this golf course places a lot of physical demands on players.

“I’m not saying that’s what we’ll do, but you take everything into consideration. The men listed on the paper are the men I believe will best position us after the first session.
“.

When asked about Koepka’s reception, Johnson insisted he didn’t hear any fans jeering the LIV Golf star and said it was hard to hear from the stage.
The USA captain continued by saying he didn’t think Koepka would be alarmed by any unfavorable responses.

It’s difficult to hear from the stage, he claimed, so I didn’t hear anything.
I didn’t hear anything about anything similar.
Since I am familiar with Brooks well enough, I can say that both he and his 11 teammates have a strong sense of self-assurance.

“The only thing that matters is how we approach it.
For the men I mentioned, I only heard applause.
“.

Max Homa and Bryan Harman will play Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg in the second match, with Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns taking on Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton in the opening match for the USA.

Before Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay take on Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood, Rickie Fowler and Colin Morikawa play Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka in the third match.

When Team USA turned down interviews with the Golf Channel after the opening ceremony, it raised controversy.
Paul McGinley thinks Europe will prevail because the US already forbade Netflix from filming this weekend.

I understand what it’s like in a team room, he said. It may sound insignificant, but the psyche in there gives off a good impression, a sense that you’ve got a little bit of an edge going on.
They are back there, chatting and discussing how they can’t believe the Americans didn’t conduct the interviews.
“.