For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Wednesday morning, golf fans, as the dust settles on Zach Johnson’s wildcard picks for Rome.

1. The picks are in

Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner…“Justin Thomas’ worst season on the PGA Tour didn’t cost him a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team.”

• “Captain Zach Johnson on Tuesday made Thomas one of his six wildcard selections to round out the American team, opting for Thomas’ sparkling match-play record over his current form as the Americans look to win on foreign soil for the first time since 1993.”

• “He has, without question, been the heart and soul of Team USA,” Johnson said. “Our emotional leader. He leads by example. His passion for the Ryder Cup is very evident. In my mind, he was born for this, and you just don’t leave JT at home.”

• …”Even with his struggles this season, Thomas’ inclusion to the U.S. side wasn’t much of a surprise considering his record in the format, ready-made partnership with Jordan Spieth and leadership role in the team room. Neither was the addition of four of the other captain’s picks: Spieth, Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa.”

2. ZJ on BK pick

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach…”Koepka returned from a career-threatening knee injury and tied for second at the Masters before collecting his third Wanamaker Trophy in May. He tied for 17th in the U.S. Open and 64th at The Open. He finished 29 points behind Xander Schauffele for the final automatic roster spot.”

• “The last few years have been a lot, but at the same time, that’s what I’ve been grinding for, trying to get back in shape and to feel good for this moment,” Koepka said. “Super excited — it’s gonna be a fun week.”

• “The way I see it, [Koepka] basically earned his way onto the team,” Johnson added. “It was a pretty easy pick. Brooks is great in the team room, great inside the ropes. These guys wanted him. I wanted him. A very natural fit.”

3. Biggest snub?

Golf Digest staff…

• ”You have to say Young here. Young’s résumé in the big events was stellar, he played extremely well at the Match Play in March, but most importantly, and this cannot be emphasized enough: FRED COUPLES SAID HE WAS ON THE TEAM! That’s the PR blunder of the entire Ryder Cup picks cycle, by far, and just imagine how it must feel if you’re Young, read that story, and think your spot is secure, only to lose it to Burns at the final moment. I’m not saying this isn’t painful for a guy like Bradley, who loves the Ryder Cup, or even Glover, but to be granted a pick by a vice captain in a media appearance and then to watch it fade away? That’s so brutal.” —Shane Ryan

• “Probably Bryson DeChambeau. A top five at the PGA Championship, fresh off a 58 in his LIV Golf win at The Greenbrier and a good performance at Whistling Straits. A good driver of the ball, he’d probably do well in Rome. Yes, there’s maybe a chemistry issue with the rest of the team. But it sounds like he didn’t even get a phone call. I understand why he’s not on the team, but even still: It’s a snub. —Luke Kerr-Dineen

4. The key to Hovland’s improvements around the green: Spin Loft

Golf Digest’s Luke Kerr-Dineen…”But around the greens, his similar technique had Hovland struggling to generate enough spin, and his mis-hits would often cause him to chunk shots by hitting too far behind the ball. It was why, a few years ago, Hovland admitted he “sucked” at chipping, and attempted to solve the problem by changing the way he was hitting the ball. Specifically, the way his wrists worked through the ball.”

• “When Hovland and Mayo teamed up, they abandoned that idea. Rather than making large alterations to technique Hovland used to hit the ball, they focused acutely on how Hovland was hitting the ball. That’s where the concept of Spin Loft came into play.”

• “Spin Loft is a shorthand metric teachers use between the difference between the loft of the club at impact, and the direction of the clubhead. Hovland’s coach Mayo says it’s “one of the most important” metrics to understand, and has talked a lot about how crucial it is around the greens.”

5. Michael Kim: Fellow pro willingly took a 2-stroke penalty for cart ride

Our Matt Vincenzi…”According to the former Tour winner, a player willingly took a ride from a cart knowing that it was a penalty due to the intense heat.”

• “Hot summer story I’ve heard: A while back, a player was playing well on Friday and was at 3 under par. It was a VERY hot afternoon and the walk from 15 green to 16th tee box was far and up a really big hill. He sees a rules official and calls him…”

• “Player: Hey, what’s the penalty if you give me a ride to the tee box?”

• “Official: uhh it’s a two stroke penalty”

• “P: what’s the cut line at?

• “O: it’s currently at even par

• “P: Fu** it, I’m at 3 under give me a ride to that tee box

• “The story is a bit hard to believe, considering how much of a financial difference it makes to make a cut for PGA Tour players, but we’ll take Kim’s word for it.”

6. Sonders: I was dying inside

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Holly Sonders, who worked at the Golf Channel from 2011-2014, has started her own topless sports league called “Exposed Sportz”.

• “This week, Sonders sat down with Golf Digest’s “The Loop” podcast to discuss both her new venture and her time in golf media.”

• “Sonders made some interesting comments in the interview, including that she was “dying inside” during her time at Golf Channel and Fox Sports.”

• “I was just dying inside most of the time to being told what to say, what to do, how to act, and so it’s, there’s something to be said for being free whether other people like it or not.”

• “The 34-year-old said that by the end of her time at Golf Channel, she was doing three shows a day, and then went to film “Playing Lessons with the Pro’s” on her off days.”

• “They just kept adding and adding to the point where at the end, Morning Drive I was on Thursday-Monday because that’s when the action is, then Tuesday I would do the instructional show and Wednesday I would fly out to do ‘Playing with the Pro’s’. So, that’s seven days a week. I was dead, like I was dead.”

• “And you’re paying me peanuts. So, of course I’m going to go to Fox. Goodbye. I get to go to L.A., I get to make my own schedule, I get to have an offseason.”

7. TV viewership up for Tour Championship

Tim Schmitt for Golfweek…”Although the debate over what format best suits the season-ending Tour Championship continues to rage on, the current solution has captured the fancy of the viewing public, at least according to numbers released by CBS Sports on Tuesday.”

• “According to the network, Sunday’s final round from East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta was the most-watched in the last five years of the event.”

• “As Viktor Hovland was firing a final-round 63 to hold off Xander Schauffele and win the 2023 FedEx Cup, the CBS coverage averaged 4.613 million viewers, the best number on the final round since Tiger Woods snapped a five-year drought by winning the 2018 event.”

8. Financial boost for LPGA pros

Adam Woodard for Golfweek…”Players who compete in all five of the LPGA’s major championships are guaranteed minimum payouts to help cover expenses. Starting this week, the LPGA will now be able to help offset player expenses at additional tournaments for the next five seasons thanks to a new multi-year partnership with Accenture.”

• “Each of the 144 players in the field at this week’s Portland Classic will be guaranteed a minimum payout, same for those who tee it up at the Ascendant LPGA Benefiting Volunteers of America in October. Players who competed at the LOTTE Championship in April received a travel stipend to help cover costs associated with traveling to and from Hawaii. Golfers who played the Dana Open presented by Marathon in July also received a minimum payout.”

9. Keegan’s reaction