Azinger: Koepka should relinquish his spot on Ryder Cup team after comments

Former Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger is not pleased with Brooks Koepka right now.

"I'm not sure he loves the Ryder Cup that much," the analyst said, according to Golf Digest's Alex Myers. "If he doesn't love it, he should relinquish his spot and get people there who do love the Ryder Cup."

Koepka, who has competed in the Ryder Cup twice in his career, criticized the biennial competition recently. In an interview with Matthew Rudy of Golf Digest, he said transitioning from an individual game to a team sport is "hectic" and "odd."

"There are times where I’m like, 'I won my match. I did my job. What do you want from me?' I know how to take responsibility for the shots I hit every week. Now, somebody else hit a bad shot and left me in a bad spot, and I know this hole is a loss," he said.

The 31-year-old elaborated further: "It's so far from my normal routine. I can barely see my (personal) team. It's hard to even go to the gym ... There's no time to do that at the Ryder Cup. There's no time to decompress."

Though it was initially unclear if he'd have a spot on the Ryder Cup team due to a wrist injury, Koepka confirmed Wednesday that he will compete in the event.

"Brooks is one of the most candid, most honest guys there ever is and if he's blatantly honest with himself and he doesn't want to be there, he should come out and say it," Azinger said.

Azinger led the Americans to a Ryder Cup victory in Kentucky in 2008.

Among those left off the American team this time around is Patrick Reed, who has a 7-3-2 record in three previous Ryder Cup championships.