Justin Thomas. David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports

Are Justin Thomas' Ryder Cup chances still alive?

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 8/21/23

If it feels like we've been talking about Justin Thomas' chances of making the U.S. Ryder Cup team forever, buckle up — there are a couple of weeks left until we know if he made it or not.

The former world No. 1 narrowly missed out on the FedEx Cup playoffs this year, which means two missed opportunities — the FedEx St. Jude and BMW Championships — to get a last-minute boost in the Ryder Cup standings. Now Thomas sits in 15th in the standings behind some of his contemporaries who are also trying to snag one of Zach Johnson's captain picks.

At this rate, is there still a chance that Thomas will represent the red, white and blue in Rome this September?

People are really overthinking this Justin Thomas/Ryder Cup convo. We have reams of evidence that some guys level up in that event regardless of how they’ve been playing. He’s an auto pick for me.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) August 21, 2023

Johnson has stayed close-lipped about who he plans to hand his six captain's picks to, and rightfully so. However, he did tell the Subpar podcast that he and Thomas have been in contact recently.

"We’ve been communicating," Johnson said. "We’re going to keep the honesty train going, we’re going to leave it all out there. And I told him I don’t know what’s in store. But, obviously, he’s still in consideration."

Surely Thomas' history in team play has an impact on Johnson's final decision. Thomas has a 16-5-3 record across Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups appearances, so naturally he was a shoo-in to make the U.S. team ahead of the 2023 PGA Tour season. It was his tough campaign that has put his chances of making the team in question, as he missed the cut in five of his eight appearances following the PGA Championship.

From what Johnson said, it sounds like the chances of Thomas being selected to the U.S. Ryder Cup team are still alive. But, of course, we'll have to wait another couple of weeks to see who Johnson decides to have on his team.

The 2023 Ryder Cup tees off from Marco Simone Golf and Country Club outside of Rome on Sept. 29.

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