Zach Johnson criticised by former Ryder Cup captain over 2023 snub: "Utterly amazing"

Former US Ryder Cup captain Lanny Wadkins has revealed he didn't attend the matches in New York, in part, because of the way he was treated by Zach Johnson and his team in Rome two years ago.

Wadkins, who made eight appearances for the stars and stripes between 1977 and 1989, was invited by the PGA of America to attend the matches at Marco Simone in 2023. 

Lee Trevino, Raymond Floyd, Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, Tom Lehman, Paul Azinger and Corey Pavin were also guests of the PGA but, according to Wadkins, the group "weren't treated very well" by Johnson and his team. 

The 75-year-old told The First Call that not one member of the 12-man team said hello to them. "It was utterly amazing," he said. 

"We weren't treated very well by Zach Johnson or that team," he said. "We weren't allowed in the team room at the hotel. We sat 10 feet from the door they walked past to go play every day. 

"Not one person on that team said hello to any of us. I'm talking Lee Trevino, Raymond Floyd, Tom Kite, me, Ben Crenshaw, Tom Lehman, Paul Azinger, right on down the line to Corey Pavin and Dave Stockton. It was utterly amazing.

"If I'd been a player and had people like Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer and Jack Burke there, I would've spent all my time with them because I felt they had something I could learn. 

"For us to be treated like that … that was one reason I didn't go to Bethpage. I was turned off by the experience in Rome. I was ready for someone other than that captain's group."

Wadkins agrees with US golf legend Tom Watson

Tom Watson, a legend of American golf, hit the headlines when he apologised to the European Ryder Cup team for the behaviour of some spectators at Bethpage Black. 

The European team were subjected to vile abuse. Watson said he was "ashamed" of what played out in the galleries. 

Rory McIlroy said what he and his teammates were subjected to was "unacceptable", adding that golf should be held to a "higher standard". 

McIlroy's critics have pointed out that he cracked on more than one occasion, sending a few expletives back to the galleries. 

The aforementioned Azinger called McIlroy a foul-mouthed hypocrite. 

"I chirped back because it got to me a few times, but we tried to handle everything that came our way with class and poise, and for the most part, I felt like we did that," said McIlroy.

"It was a rough week for all of us. But at the same time, we shut them up by our performance."

Wadkins is in agreement with Watson. He told The First Call that the New York galleries "made complete asses of themselves". 

"I couldn't have been more disappointed that those were fellow citizens acting like complete idiots," he said. 

"It was completely uncalled for. Don't forget, a couple of wives got (verbally) attacked. 

"I told someone that if I was the PGA of America, I wouldn't take another event to New York. Not a PGA Championship. Not a Ryder Cup. Not anything."

Elsewhere in the interview, Wadkins claimed Keegan Bradley made a mistake by sending out Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas in the first match. 

He argued the duo were not the United States' strongest foursomes pairing. 

Wadkins also believes that future captains should only have four wildcards and not six. 

Tiger Woods should also be the next skipper, he said.