Thomas: I'd rather make U.S. Ryder Cup squad than playoffs

If Justin Thomas had to choose between qualifying for the FedEx Cup Playoffs or making the United States' Ryder Cup squad this fall, it wouldn't even be a debate.

Both positions could be on the line for the former World No. 1 entering Sunday at the Wyndham Championship, and Thomas' desire to represent the Stars and Stripes is his main motivation.

"I want to make the Ryder Cup team so bad," Thomas said following Saturday's third round, per Golf Digest's Shane Ryan.

"It's so important to me. ... I legitimately would rather make the Ryder Cup than the playoffs - which is really, really messed up to say, but it's just the truth. But because of that, I think that's why I played so poorly the last month and a half or two months. I'm putting so much pressure on myself to play well."

This year's Ryder Cup is scheduled for Sept. 29 - Oct. 1 at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy.

Both USA's and Europe's teams are made of up six automatic qualifiers and six captain's picks. Thomas is currently ranked 14th on the American points list, and he has some big names in front of him including Max Homa, Jordan Spieth, Cameron Young, and Collin Morikawa, among others.

If Thomas is picked by U.S. captain Zach Johnson, his reputation in past team events is likely to play a big part in his inclusion. Thomas is 16-4-4 for his career between the Ryder and Presidents' Cup, but his form on TOUR in 2023 has been far from the standard he's set for himself.

Thomas hasn't won a tournament since last year's PGA Championship and has missed the cut in three of four majors in 2023. His difficult campaign has left him outside the cutline for the playoffs, which includes the top 70 players on the season. Thomas is tied for 11th on the Wyndham Championship leaderboard entering Sunday's final round but is currently projected to finish 72nd in the FedEx standings.

Thomas won the FedEx Cup in 2017.