Ryder Cup: Zach Johnson springs shock by leaving out Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas

Team USA captain Zach Johnson sprung a surprise by deciding not to send Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas into battle in the opening session in the 44th Ryder Cup - and he gave no guarantee the tried-and-tested twosome would be involved in the afternoon’s play.

Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth are sitting out the opening session in the 44th Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome. Picture: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images.

“They are going to be playing Marco Simone this week,” was all Johnson would commit to when asked about the possibility of Spieth, Thomas and the two others sitting out the first session - 2023 major winners Brooks Koepka and Wyndham Clark - being sent out on the second batch of matches.

On the back of Spieth and Thomas having done well together in the past in team matches – they’re two out of four in foursomes and have a 100 per cent record in fourballs - it had been thought they could be in the first pairing at the start of the American’s defence of the trophy.

But that role has been handed instead to world No 1 Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns, with two other rookies - Open champion Brian Harman and Max Homa - behind them and the bottom two pairings comprising Rickie Fowler/Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay.

“Well, the gist of it is we've got 12 guys,” said Johnson, looking a tad frazzled in a press conference, in reply to being asked about the omission of Spieth and Thomas, one of his six captain’s picks. “Unfortunately, I can't play all 12 each session. So at some point, somebody's got to sit.

“It's a golf course that demands a lot out of you physically. I mean, I think it's an ideal situation where you don't necessarily want to play everybody for all five sessions. I'm not saying that's what we're going to do, but you're taking everything into account.”

Asked if the decision about Spieth and Thomas had come down to form, he added: “There's a lot of things that I'd like to keep internal there. At the same time, I have the utmost confidence in these eight and the utmost confidence in Jordan and Justin.

“I know we're talking about a great tandem, but it's a situation where it's not about their form. They're playing great. So it's really just a matter of trying to dissect all five sessions.”

When his name was announced during the opening ceremony, it seemed as though Koepka, the sole LIV Golf player among the 24 doing battle over the next three days, received an adverse reaction from some fans when his name was announced.

“It's hard to hear from the stage, but, as far as something specific like that, I did not hear anything,” said Johnson. “I know Brooks well enough to know that he's very secure in himself, and I know that his 11 team-mates are very secure in him. That's all that's important. I didn't hear anything other than applause for the guys I mentioned.”

Foursomes

(Europe names first, all times BST)

0635 Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton v Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns

0650 Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg v Max Homa and Brian Harman

0705 Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka v Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa

0720 Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood v Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay