Brooks Koepka hopeful of qualifying for next year's Ryder Cup
Wednesday 30 September 2015 12:20, UK
Brooks Koepka is keen to bounce from failing to reach the USA Presidents Cup squad by qualifying for a debut appearance in next year's Ryder Cup.
The Phoenix Open champion narrowly missed out on a place in Jay Haas' side for next week's biennial event in South Korea, with Bill Haas and Phil Mickelson instead handed the two captain's picks.
Koepka is one of several Americans in the field for this week's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, with PGA Tour regulars Erik Compton and Scott Piercy also featuring in a strong line-up that contains ten of the world's top 50.
Although there's still a year to go before Europe head to Hazeltine chasing a fourth consecutive victory, Koepka feels his time playing on the European Tour gives him an advantage in his pursuit of appearing at Hazeltine.
"Obviously I didn't make the Presidents Cup, so the next goal is the Ryder Cup and I just need to play well," Koepka told Sky Sports. "It's not at the front of my mind right now and I'm not focusing on that, if I play well then everything should take of itself and hopefully I'll be on the team.
"That would the biggest thing that I'd have achieved so far. I want to make a Ryder Cup, I've been over here (in Europe) long enough and I've seen the passion that the Europeans have about it.
"I know how special it is to everybody so I think I have a little different viewpoint to most Americans."
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Staying positive
Martin Kaymer is in also in action in Scotland this week, hoping to improve on a recent play-off defeat at the Italian Open.
The German will feature more heavily in Europe over the next 12 months having lost his full membership to play on the PGA Tour, but hopes the move will benefit his bid for a fourth consecutive Ryder Cup appearance.
"If you look back through your career when you're done, you wanted to be part of the Ryder Cup team every time you had the chance to," Kaymer told Sky Sports. "You grow so much not just as a player but as a person by playing in them.
"On a positive side, (by not playing on the PGA Tour) I can focus more on the European Tour and on the Ryder Cup. I will be at home more so to be really honest, I'm not that upset by that.
"I have many more years ahead of me where I can play on both tours or I can play on one tour and next year is an important year anyway with the Olympic Games, so I can chill a little bit and only focus on one tour."
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