Masters showed professional golf can get along, even in Ryder Cup

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Unless Brooks Koepka goes on to win the U.S. Open and British Open — it’s hard to bet against him at this rate — the Masters should be remembered as the most meaningful major this year.

Jon Rahm in a green jacket was special on its own. He is a massive talent.

But what the Masters delivered as the first major of the year was a reminder that golf hasn’t lost its civility outside of headlines, social media and court documents. It was the first time a full roster of defectors to LIV Golf mixed with loyalists to the PGA Tour. Everyone got along just fine, united by the common goal of winning a green jacket.

The PGA Championship was the same.

Why should the Ryder Cup be any different?

The improbable — a LIV player making the Ryder Cup team — became the very possible at Oak Hill when Koepka stamped his legacy as golf’s most dominant player in the majors since Tiger Woods by winning the PGA Championship, his fifth major in his last 22 attempts.

That moved him to No. 2 in the Ryder Cup standings.

Whether he can hang on to earn one of the six qualifying spots — he is nearly the equivalent of $2.5 million ahead of Jordan Spieth in the No. 7 slot — almost seems irrelevant.

Zach Johnson gets six captain’s picks. The objective is win on European soil for the first time in 30 years. If the choice came down to Koepka or a first-timer like Sam Burns, Wyndham Clark or Kurt Kitayama, is it even much of a choice?

“It’s tough to be in Zach’s mind or where he is at,” Koepka said earlier in the week. “But I would love to make it hard on him.”

It shouldn’t be that difficult, not when the player in question is someone like Koepka.

Johnson finished his final round at Oak Hill before Koepka teed off with a oneshot lead Sunday.

Taking on Ryder Cup speculation at times seemed more difficult for Johnson than anything he faced on the golf course.

The first question was about Koepka’s performance.

“Well, they’re only 54 holes in,” he replied, before changing directions to rave about Oak Hill.

Pressed later on the chemistry of having Koepka or another LIV player on the U.S. team, Johnson said it was “too premature to even have any sort of opinion about that.”