Ryder Cup showdown: Justin Thomas on the clock to salvage spot, warns Brad Faxon

Justin Thomas has been going through an atrocious patch in his career presently. In the recently concluded British Open, he did not manage to make it into the cut line. However, he is currently in Minnesota to participate in the 3M Open 2023 for the first time in his career.

In a recent interview with Sirius XM Radio, American professional golfer Brad Faxon was asked if the Louisville-born golfer can make it into the US team for the upcoming Ryder Cup 2023. The 61-year-old golfer straightforwardly said that Thomas is definitely not in contention.

As quoted by Golf Monthly, Faxon said:

"I don't think he is. I'm looking at the list of players that are in front of him - how do you not pick Rickie Fowler who is in 12th?"

Brad Faxon is a 61-year-old American golfer who competed on the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour. He has eight wins on the PGA Tour.

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"He has a month to show Zach Johnson" - Brad Faxon says Justin Thomas has to race against time to contend for Ryder Cup 2023 spot

Brad Faxon mentioned that the Travelers Championship 2023 winner Keegan Bradley's name is 10th on the contention list of the US team. So, he concluded, how can Thomas get his name ahead of these guys?

"Keegan Bradley who won the Travelers is in 10th - how do you just decide that Justin is going to leapfrog over those guys without some good play?"

He added that, for Justin Thomas, it would be hard to surpass seventh to 13th-ranked players on the contention list.

"It would be very hard to just put him ahead of some of these players who are in that seventh to 13th spot - you look at Max Homa, Cameron Young, and Spieth, they're in seven, eight, and nine," Faxon added.

Justin Thomas at The British Open (via Getty Images)

The 61-year-old golfer added that Thomas has a month to show his form to the US team captain Zach Johnson.

"Justin Thomas has four tournaments - he has a month to show Zach Johnson, 'Look, I'm turning this around, my back is up against the wall, I want to make that team'.

"Think about sports that have wildcards - football, baseball, how often those trending teams play so well - because they're playing well at the end of the season," he concluded.

During the Open Championship, when Justin Thomas missed the cut, the US Ryder Cup team captain Zach Johnson expressed his concern for Thomas' form. However, he did emphasize the latter's previous record at the biennial event.

The upcoming 44th edition of the Ryder Cup 2023 is scheduled to be held at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, Rome. The tournament will commence on September 29 and will go on till October 1.