"I have no idea if I'd get picked" - LIV Golfer Dustin Johnson would like to make the US Ryder Cup team

Dustin Johnson has expressed his desire to play in the Ryder Cup, which is scheduled to take place in September. However, he is not sure of getting picked.

The last Ryder Cup was played in 2021, where Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed, and Brooks Koepka were part of the winning United States team. Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia, Bernd Wiesberger, Lee Westwood, and Paul Casey were in the European team.

All nine of them are now part of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit which has more or less diminished their chances of being in the biennial event this year.

Johnson was asked during the pre-event press conference of the 2023 PGA Championship about his interest in playing in the Ryder Cup this year and his chances of being in the American team.

"I mean, I have no idea if I'd get picked," he said. "Obviously if I continue to play really well for the rest of the year, then obviously there's a chance. Yes, I would definitely like to play in the Ryder Cup. It's one of my favorite events to play in, especially after the last Ryder Cup."

The US team defeated the Europe team 19-9 in the 43rd Ryder Cup, with Dustin Johnson playing a big role in the record win of the US team. The former No. 1 played five matches in singles, foursome, and fourball format winning all of them.

"Obviously had a pretty good week," Johnson added. "And, yeah, it's just an awesome event; and yeah, I'd love to be a part of it."

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Can LIV Golf players still make it to the Ryder Cup teams?

One needs to be in the top six of the USA standings to become an automatic selection for the Ryder Cup. Among LIV golfers, Brooks Koepka is in the highest position. The 2023 Masters runner-up is 22nd in the USA standings, followed by Phil Mickelson at 25th. Dustin Johnson, who failed to make a cut at Augusta National is 37th.

Since Saudi-backed circuit golfers are banned from participating in PGA and DP World Tour-sanctioned events and their tournaments don't get any OWGR points, there aren't many options for them to boost their rankings.

The other way of getting into the US team is to be one of the six captain's picks but it seems unlikely that LIV-associated players are going to be captain's choices. US team's captain Zach Johnson cleared on Wednesday that it was not even on his 'radar' at the moment.

He said at the pre-event conference of the PGA Championship on Wednesday, May 17:

"There's maybe a couple of guys that have come close to securing their spot in the top six, but when it comes to picks, it's not even on my radar.

"Given how many points are still out there, whether you're talking about major championships or elevated events or all of the above. I think it would be premature and almost irresponsible to even go into that. It's not on my radar right now."

The 2023 Ryder Cup is scheduled to take place from September 29 to October 1 at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Italy.