"He was born for this" - Zach Johnson on picking Justin Thomas as a part of his US Ryder Cup team

Justin Thomas is back at the Ryder Cup after captain Zach Johnson officially made him one of the six selections.

JT's play this year has been subpar, as he missed the playoffs and did not do well in a lot of events. Still, as a Ryder Cup veteran with proven experience, there was a debate over whether or not the golfer should be included.

That debate is now over though, as Johnson made Thomas one of his six selections. The veteran golfer has been crucial to American teams at the Ryder Cup before, and the captains didn't want to skip over that value.

Johnson said (via NUCLR GOLF):

“Our emotional leader. He has been the heart and soul of Team USA. In my mind he was born for this and you just don’t leave JT at home.”

Johnson further justified his decision. He believes Thomas' talent will shine through, and that his current form will pass. He said in July that he believed in the golfer well before he selected him (via ESPN):

"Bottom line is this game is really hard. There's going to be peaks. There's going to be some valleys. Let's hope whatever sort of non-peak he's in, it's short."

He added:

"I know he's got a great team. I love his coaches. I love how he works. He's a worker. Guys with talent like that that work and aren't afraid to put their work in the dirt, if you will, not to be cliche, typically find it. It's just a matter of when, not if. He's too darned good."

Thomas himself recently admitted that making the team was important for him, saying:

"I want to make the Ryder Cup more than anything. I'm probably honestly trying too hard to do it. It reminds me a lot of my first or second year on tour."

He added:

"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."

In total, Johnson made the following picks:

• Brooks Koepka
• Collin Morikawa
• Justin Thomas
• Rickie Fowler
• Jordan Spieth
• Sam Burns

They join the six automatic qualifiers, who were Scottie Scheffler, Brian Harman, Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa, and Xander Schauffele.

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Zach Johnson made two tough decisions for Ryder Cup with Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka

There were two really tough decisions facing the Ryder Cup team this year. Would they invite an LIV Golf member if he didn't automatically qualify? Would they invite Justin Thomas in the midst of a poor season?

Brooks Koepka was named to the Ryder Cup

The answer to both questions was a yes. Koepka fell out of the top six to automatically qualify, leaving the decision in the hands of the US team. They chose to pick him, especially since he was seventh in points despite not playing on the PGA Tour.

Justin Thomas was pretty rough this year. He finished 15th in points, but his pedigree and leadership made the decision easier for Johnson.