Justin Thomas didn’t come close to qualifying for the U.S. Ryder Cup team on points, but captain Zach Johnson wasn’t going to leave the former Alabama All-American behind when his team departs for the international competition in Italy next month.

Johnson named Thomas as one of his six captain’s picks for the U.S. Ryder Cup team on Tuesday.

“Justin Thomas is one of the most talented players on the PGA Tour in my opinion,” Johnson said. “He has been, without question, the heart and soul of Team USA Ryder Cups. Our emotional leader, I would say. I don’t think he would argue with that. He just leads by example. Overall, a fantastic Ryder Cup record. His passion for the Ryder Cup is very evident. He would say it himself; he has said it himself. In my mind, he was born for this. You just don’t leave JT at home.”

A two-time major-tournament champion, Thomas went winless on the PGA Tour this season for the first time since the 2014-15 season, and he missed the FedEx Cup playoffs.

But Thomas has been a standout performer in international competition for the United States. In two Ryder Cup and three Presidents Cup competitions, Thomas has compiled a 16-5-2 record.

“I’ve had a lot of sleepless nights of just thinking about what could happen,” Thomas said, “and wanting to be on the team and wondering if I was, if I wasn’t, and then I just came to the realization that, obviously, it was out of my hands and I couldn’t do anything about it. And then after getting the call yesterday from Zach, I couldn’t sleep last night because I was so excited, so it was kind of ironic.

“Like I said earlier, I’m very excited. It’s cool to be a part of this team with these other 11 guys and vice-captains, and I wouldn’t want to go to battle with any other crew.”

Johnson also added Sam Burns, Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa and Jordan Spieth to the U.S. team.

They joined automatic qualifiers Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa and Xander Schauffele, who accumulated the most Ryder Cup points over the last two years.

The 44th Ryder Cup matches will be played Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club near Rome, Italy. The biennial competition features 12 golfers from the United States against 12 from Europe.

The United States has lost the past six Ryder Cup competitions held in Europe. The U.S. team has not won the Ryder Cup outside the United States since a 15-13 victory at the Belfry in Warwickshire, England, in 1993.

The six automatic qualifiers for the European Team will be set after the DP World Tour’s Omega European Masters on Sunday. European captain Luke Donald will announce his six picks on Monday.

At Alabama, Thomas was the National Player of the Year in 2012 and a member of the Crimson Tide’s national championship team in 2013.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.