Tom Watson calls for major rule change at the Ryder Cup just a week before this year’s event starts

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Tom Watson has more Ryder Cup experience than most, having represented the United States as a player on four occasions, and twice as a captain.

Watson enjoyed a superb career, which also involved winning eight major championships between 1975 and 1983.

But his current focus is on the Ryder Cup, which returns next week at Bethpage Black in Long Island, New York.

American icon Watson has gone down in golfing history for his feats at the tournament, in which he boasts a 10-4-1 record.

His captaincy record meanwhile is 1-1, having led the US to 1993 glory before losing the 2014 Ryder Cup to Europe.

Tom Watson calls for major Ryder Cup rule change

Watson has now given his take on one particular aspect of the Ryder Cup captaincy ahead of the next edition of the event, which starts next Friday.

Sharing his verdict on the captains being able to make six picks, he told Golf Channel: “Personally I think that six is way too many.

READ MORE: Brandel Chamblee suggests the US team have an ‘underlying’ Ryder Cup issue which has not been talked about much yet

“I think when you are a player on the PGA Tour or the European Tour, I think they ought to be taking 10 players who automatically qualify and then add two picks.

“If you have played that well and you are on the points list right there, I don’t think you should be eliminated when you are the seventh or eighth or ninth player. I don’t think that’s the right way to do it.

“When I came on the Tour I wanted to be on the Ryder Cup team and the only way to do it was to get in the top 12 points. There were no picks.

“You had to qualify that way and you saw that leaderboard and they had the list every week, the Ryder Cup point list and the money list. And I was always striving to make that Ryder Cup team and fortunately I did back in 1977.”

Who finished US and European Ryder Cup qualifying in the top 10?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the United States and European teams would look different if Watson had had his way for Bethpage Black.

There were indeed picks for the American players who finished seventh, eighth and ninth in qualifying, with Bradley calling upon Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa and Ben Griffin.

But Maverick McNealy missed out after finishing 10th in the standings, one spot ahead of captain Bradley, who made his picks after the top six players qualified automatically.

Cameron Young (14th), Patrick Cantlay (15th) and Sam Burns (16th) were instead chosen to represent their side.

It was a much more straightforward story for Team Europe, with Luke Donald picking all five of the players ranked seventh to 11th.

They were joined by Jon Rahm, who was 24th in qualifying, with Europe heading to Bethpage with the least-changed team in Ryder Cup history.

Rasmus Hojgaard is the only change from Rome in 2023, and even then he has come in for his twin brother Nicolai.