Jack Nicklaus once said whether Bryson DeChambeau should have played on the 2023 Ryder Cup team

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Bryson DeChambeau wasn’t selected to play for the United States at the Ryder Cup in Italy in 2023, and Jack Nicklaus delivered his verdict on the current LIV Golf star’s omission.

Nicklaus is arguably the most highly-revered player of all time, so whenever he speaks, golf fans usually listen.

The Golden Bear has grown to be a huge fan of DeChambeau over the years, but did he believe Zach Johnson made a mistake by not selecting the long-hitting American for the Ryder Cup team two years ago?

Nicklaus recently admitted that he has been hugely impressed by DeChambeau as a golfer.

And Nicklaus also suggested that it amazes him how DeChambeau controls the ball, considering the incredible speed he generates.

He won the US Open in 2020, but since joining LIV Golf, the 31-year-old has improved greatly as a player.

DeChambeau won the US Open again in 2024 and has eight top-10 finishes in the major championships since the 2022 Open Championship.

He was in great form heading into the 2023 Ryder Cup, but captain Johnson chose to ignore him.

Jack Nicklaus commented on Bryson DeChambeau’s Ryder Cup omission in 2023

At the time, the decision to leave out the 31-year-old was a hugely contentious one.

Surely the main job of a captain is to gather together the best 12 players possible. Johnson certainly didn’t do that in Rome two years ago.

The 49-year-old only selected one player from LIV – Brooks Koepka, and Nicklaus was asked in September 2023 the week before the Ryder Cup began if he agreed with that decision.

Nicklaus said: “I think he deserved to be on the team. Yes, no question. He played very well. He played very well in very important tournaments. He got beat out the last tournament for the automatic spot, but he’s still deserved to be picked.“

And then the 18-time major champion was pushed on whether DeChambeau should have been included in Johnson’s team.

He said: “I don’t think there’s anybody else from LIV that deserved to be picked.“

In hindsight, Johnson probably should have selected DeChambeau for his team. Instead, he chose to ignore the two-time major winner and the rest is history.

Europe dominated the Americans to win by 16.5-11.5 in what was one of the most one-sided Ryder Cup clashes in recent times.

Bryson DeChambeau’s results on LIV in 2023

The reason why there were so many calls for DeChambeau to be included in the Ryder Cup team in 2023 was because of his fine form on LIV.

Here are his results

It’s worth noting that those two wins came in the final four events of the season.

So it was clear to see that he was in exceptional form heading into the Ryder Cup.

DeChambeau should have been on that Ryder Cup team, but Johnson can’t really be blamed, even the great Jack Nicklaus agreed with his decision after all!