“It was a no-brainer” – Rory McIlroy says the conversation around Justin Thomas’ Ryder Cup pick is ‘unjustified’

Rory McIlroy has backed Zach Johnson’s decision to pick Justin Thomas for the US Ryder Cup team. Despite the raging criticism from several fans, the European star has come out to laud the call and dubbed it a “no-brainer” decision.

McIlroy’s opinion on the controversial captain’s pick comes days ahead of the Ryder Cup. The ace golfer admitted that Thomas, a friend of his, didn’t have the best season. However, the 34-year-old Irishman still backed Johnson’s call and said that JT is a strong opponent for him and his European side. The PGA Tour star even stated that the “whole conversation around it (Thomas’ pick) was unjustified.”

Speaking on the episode of the Subpar podcast, Rory McIlroy stated, as quoted by Golf:

“I don’t think so, I thought the whole JT thing — the whole conversation around it was unjustified. In my opinion being a European, and knowing that I have to see some of these guys, honestly there’s other guys on the team that I’d rather face than JT.

As a European, to me, it was a no-brainer. Even though he’s not had the best year and he struggled to perform, JT is still one of the first guys you put down on that team sheet for the U.S. I thought it was a no-brainer.”

It is pertinent to note that Justin Thomas failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs for the first time in his career this year. The 30-year-old golfer didn’t properly contend at any of the major championships and even missed five cuts in eight events towards the end of the 2023 season.

However, US Ryder Cup team skipper Johnson still decided to pick him over the likes of Keegan Bradley and Lucas Glover, upsetting fans. Despite the argument, McIlroy has now stated that the Ryder Cup isn’t about picking the best golfers of the year. According to him, the teams need players like Thomas whom the opponents are afraid to play against.

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US Ryder Cup vice-captain Fred Couples backs Justin Thomas’ pick

It’s pertinent to note that McIlroy isn’t the only one who’s backed Zach Johnson’s controversial pick of Thomas. Earlier this month, US Ryder Cup vice-captain Fred Couples broke his silence over the decision and called it a ‘no-brainer’ as well.

Backing the decision, Couples called Thomas the ‘strongest’ candidate for the captain’s pick. Interestingly, the legendary golfer admitted that the analytics would disagree with his take on the matter. However, he stuck by it and said that “the way he (JT) plays” defined the decision.

Skipper Johnson himself strongly backed his decision and said that Thomas was a better team player than several others on the deserving Ryder Cup candidates list. It’ll be interesting to see how the decision ultimately turns out as the American side sets out to Rome to retain the international team trophy later this month.