It appeared that Team USA were going to have to produce a huge upset in match three of the opening session at the Ryder Cup, with Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood taking on Collin Morikawa and Harris English.
Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood won both of their matches together in Rome two years ago. It does appear that McIlroy and Fleetwood have a great relationship. So it was no surprise when Luke Donald put the pair out together for Friday morning at Bethpage.
It proved to be as emphatic as many suspected.
McIlroy and Fleetwood were exceptional together, reaching five under par through eight holes in New York.
Graeme McDowell suggests whether Rory McIlroy could play all five matches at the Ryder Cup
Morikawa and English made their only birdie on the ninth hole, but Europe were able to win the match on the 14th after making par on their last six holes.
McIlroy definitely looked like a man on a mission. Europe meanwhile, could have hardly asked for a better start to the 2025 Ryder Cup as they won the first three games comfortably.
The question for Luke Donald therefore, was how would he ensure that Europe kept the momentum while also not asking too much of their star players before Sunday?
And Graeme McDowell believes that it is not necessarily a given that McIlroy will play all five matches this week…
How Rory McIlroy performed in Rome after playing in every session
Fleetwood himself knows that playing all five matches is a tough ask. He featured in every session in Paris in 2018, winning four points alongside Francesco Molinari. But, while Molinari was able to win his fifth point of the week on Sunday, the Englishman ran out of gas.
However, McIlroy did play all five matches in Rome in 2023. Despite only securing one really comfortable win, he was still able to deliver four points that week.
So if Donald asks McIlroy to play in every session in New York, it would be no surprise if the Northern Irishman does not hesitate to say yes.
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