Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood look like Europe’s most reliable partnership at the Ryder Cup.
McIlroy and Fleetwood won two foursomes matches at the 2023 Ryder Cup, and Luke Donald picked them again at Bethpage Black.
That turned out to be an excellent decision as they defeated Collin Morikawa and Harris English 5&4 on Friday morning.
After winning a point for Team Europe, McIlroy explained why he enjoys playing with Fleetwood so much.
Rory McIlroy loves playing with Tommy Fleetwood at the Ryder Cup
Foursomes is more complicated than picking two great players and expecting them to work well together.
The European team had struggled to find an ideal partner for McIlroy for many years, but Fleetwood now appears to be the solution.
The Northern Irishman plays with more “freedom” when Fleetwood is alongside him, which cannot be a bad thing.
“I think when you have a partner like Tommy, you can play with so much freedom and trust in your game, because you know you have someone who is going to back you up,” McIlroy told Sky Sports.
“That’s why the two times we played in Rome and today, I felt foursomes can be a tough format, you can play a little tentative with the way it is, but knowing I have this man beside me if I do hit a bad shot, that’s very comforting to know.
Tommy Fleetwood reacts after winning a Ryder Cup point with Rory McIlroy
Fleetwood also spoke to the media after winning his foursomes match with McIlroy on Friday morning.
He mentioned the “continuity” in the European team as one of the key reasons why they made such a positive start at Bethpage Black.
“There are a lot of things fuelling the belief, but I think as a team, there is a lot of continuity there,” Fleetwood added. “We have a lot of motivation and a lot of belief. But one step at a time.
“We have all enjoyed the process of this Ryder Cup so much and been so excited to play, even knowing how difficult it might be, but one step at a time, and we will see where we can get to.”
It surely won’t be the last time that Donald asks McIlroy and Fleetwood to team up at this Ryder Cup.
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