Tommy Fleetwood addressed the media ahead of the Tour Championship on Tuesday, but conversation quickly turned to the upcoming Ryder Cup, with captain Keegan Bradley’s name brought up on numerous occasions.
Fleetwood has enjoyed a really solid year but he is still chasing that ever-elusive first win on the PGA Tour – perhaps that will come at the Tour Championship.
Whatever happens this week, though, the 34-year-old Englishman will be on the European Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black in September, as they come up against Bradley and an American side desperate for revenge after the 2023 edition in Rome.
Fleetwood endured disappointment at the FedEx St. Jude Championship two weeks ago but he never ceases to amaze with his infectious positivity.
That cannot be easy for him. Fleetwood threw away the Travelers Championship in the final round back in June, but he continues to work incredibly hard on his game.
And it has been clear to see throughout the years that Fleetwood is a completely different animal when it comes to the Ryder Cup.
Tommy Fleetwood has message for Keegan Bradley ahead of the Ryder Cup
The seven-time DP World Tour winner will be a key member of the European Ryder Cup team, what with his enviable record at the competition.
Team Europe are heavily favoured to win right now. They just seem to be a more stable team, with United States captain Bradley facing a lot more selection dilemmas than Luke Donald.
Bradley’s biggest Ryder Cup decision will be whether to pick himself or not, and whatever he decides to do in that regard could end up defining his captaincy.
Fleetwood responded when asked whether the Europeans are actually interested at all in whether Bradley opts to pick himself for the US Ryder Cup team or not.
He said: “Probably not as interested as you are, no. Like I’m not not interested. Obviously it’s the Ryder Cup coming up, and I think it’s a big story. But you know, he’s obviously got a lot on his hands right now. He’s got big decisions to make.
“I think whatever Keegan and the U.S. Team decide to do is not something that is at all in our control or something that we’ll sort of be thinking too much about. I think focus on our team, look forward to the opportunity to play whoever the 12 players are on that team.
“It’s nothing to do with us. It’s nothing to do with Europe. As a competitor and as a sort of peer, I wish him all the best in whatever decisions he does make. I think it’s going to be an amazing time for him either way, and whatever happens, I hope he — I just wish him the best and look forward to playing against him.“
Fleetwood just oozes class at all times, doesn’t he? That message from Fleetwood to Bradley was wonderful to hear.
As tribal as the Ryder Cup is, good sportsmanship is well and truly still alive in the game of golf, and that’s great to see.
Tommy Fleetwood’s Ryder Cup record
Fleetwood has excelled in match-play throughout his career.
He clearly loves the ‘mano a mano’ format, and his record at the Ryder Cup is evidence of that.
| Results | Fleetwood’s totals |
| Matches played | 12 |
| Matches won | 7 |
| Matches lost | 3 |
| Matches halved | 2 |
| Total points won | 8 |
Fleetwood will be hoping to improve on that Ryder Cup record even further still at Bethpage next month.
He will most likely play four sessions at the very least, and Donald will be heavily reliant on his fellow Englishman to bring home a handsome points return.
One thing’s for sure, Bradley would absolutely love to have someone like Fleetwood on his Ryder Cup team, with the American side looking nowhere near as strong as they have been in previous years.
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