Ryder Cup captain for Team USA revealed as Zach Johnson confirms vice-captain choice

Two-time major winner Zach Johnson has been appointed captain of the United States team for next year's Ryder Cup in Italy.

The United States have not won the Ryder Cup on European soil since 1993, but stormed to a record 19-9 victory at Whistling Straits last year, with all 12 of their team ranked inside the world's top 21 at the time.

The 46-year-old, who won the 2007 Masters and the 2015 Open Championship at St Andrews, played in the Ryder Cup five times and was only on the winning side in his final appearance in 2016.

Johnson was an assistant captain to Steve Stricker in Wisconsin and also to Jim Furyk in Paris in 2018. Stricker will return as a vice-captain under Johnson next year.

Zach Johnson poses with the Ryder Cup after being announced as United States Ryder Cup Captain for 2023. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

"Steve Stricker has accepted his vice-captaincy role in Italy and I’m pumped and honoured to have him along my side. He’s a guy who has led Team USA to a pretty resounding victory in 2020 – but it’s not just on the scoreboard but how we did it.

"The class with which he took the position and led, I admire. To have him as a sounding board and an individual I know I can trust as a close friend – we’re going to keep it the way it was in 2020, we like the [selection] system and don’t feel we need to change it,” Johnson said.

His opposite number, Europe’s successor to Padraig Harrington, has yet to be announced for next year’s event in Guidonia Montecelio, near Rome.

Get a year of unlimited access to all The Scotsman's sport coverage without the need for a full subscription. Expert analysis of the biggest games, exclusive interviews, live blogs, transfer news and 70 per cent fewer ads on Scotsman.com – all for less than £1 a week. Subscribe to us today