US Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson says Brooks Koepka has the whole team's support

Johnson said there was no need to even address the issue when his team got together for the first time for a training camp at the Marco Simone course outside Rome, as everyone is fully on board with the PGA Championship winner being part of the group.

While Koepka's decision to chase the riches of the Saudi-backed LIV circuit received plenty of blowback from his fellow PGA Tour pros not too long ago, it all seems like water under the bridge now.

"The only thing that was said about Brooks with the guys - specifically the top six that made the team on their own merit - was, 'We want Brooks Koepka to play for Team USA,'" Johnson told AP after the team got together on Friday.

Johnson revealed that three of the 12-man team were missing as the American team played Marco Simone for the first time, though Koepka was not one of them.

"Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay have family matters that definitely supersede what we're doing," Johnson said.

The Americans were due to play another round at Marco Simone on Saturday before returning for the real thing when the Ryder Cup gets underway on September 29.

"The common sentiments that I heard on the golf course was they really liked it, which is awesome, and I knew they would because Marco Simone is very, very good," said Johnson, who saw the course for the first time last year," Johnson said.

"The rough was very thick. That was the other nugget that we talked about a lot. The putting greens were very good, very true, very nice.

"The fairways were awesome. It's a great test and it's a really, really good matchplay golf course. So the guys are excited about the competition."

Johnson also revealed that while he has five vice-captains with him in Rome - Davis Love III, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, Fred Couples and Stewart Cink - Tiger Woods remains the unofficial sixth vice-captain who is available on call.

"Tiger is very much a part of Team USA and has been for years," Johnson said.

"He is, for lack of a better term, on call with us. He is very much in the know as to what we're trying to do.

"We're going to utilise his wisdom and he's passionate about the Ryder Cup. He wishes he could be here, but it's just not on the cards for him physically. And that's fine. I mean, he is with us. He's just not here physically."

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