Justin Thomas ignoring criticism of Ryder Cup inclusion - ESPN

GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Italy — Justin Thomas says he hasn't «kept receipts» for those who have criticized his inclusion in the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

The only thing that matters to Thomas, he told reporters Tuesday, is that U.S. team captain Zach Johnson and the other American golfers who will take on the European team starting Friday at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club wanted him there.

«After I was picked from the team, it doesn't matter what it is, especially when it comes to people and stuff online, everybody's got an opinion and theirs is right and everybody else's is wrong, at least that's what generally seems to be,» Thomas said. «So for that exact reason, I stayed away from social media and stayed away from stuff online because I knew nothing good was going to come from it.»

Thomas missed the cut in six of his 21 starts on the PGA Tour this season and didn't qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs for the first time in his career. The two-time PGA Championship winner has fallen to 24th in the Official World Golf Ranking. He had rounds in the 80s at the U.S. Open and Open Championship.

Thomas finished 15th in the U.S. Ryder Cup points standings and needed one of Johnson's six captains picks to be included on the team for the third straight time.

Thomas' recent form didn't seem to matter as much to Johnson as his stellar history in the Ryder Cup. Thomas has a 6-2-1 record in two previous appearances. He won four out of five points in Europe's 17½-10½ victory at Le Golf National outside Paris in 2018, including taking down Rory McIlroy in singles. In the U.S. team's 19-9 rout of Europe at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin in 2021, Thomas captured 2½ out of four points.

Johnson said he relied on the six automatic qualifiers