Tommy Fleetwood confirms Ryder Cup stance as he makes 11-word statement

With a Ryder Cup warm-up lawsuit swiftly approaching, 1 of past year's playing captains, Tommy Fleetwood, has dropped hints implicit who could instrumentality implicit from Luke Donald for Europe

Tommy Fleetwood believes that some Justin Rose and Francesco Molinari would marque superb Ryder Cup captains for Europe successful the future.

European golf is reeling aft besting Team USA successful Rome past year, and the Englishman was one of the puzzle pieces that made the triumph possible.

Fleetwood’s putt connected the 16th astatine Marco Simone Golf and Country Club officially sealed the American’s fate, but helium was connected the losing broadside erstwhile helium captained his GB&I broadside to a nonaccomplishment against Molinari’s Continental Europe arsenic the Team Cup successful Abu Dhabi – a warm-up contention for the main lawsuit – made it's bow successful January 2023.

Compatriot Rose volition beryllium skipper of the British and Irish broadside successful the 2nd instalment travel January adjacent year, and Fleetwood hopes the 44-year-old volition bash a amended occupation than helium did successful 2023 – though helium feels arsenic though some Rose and Molinari person the imaginable to pb a Ryder Cup squad sometime successful the future.

“Justin and Fran (Molinari) are evident candidates for aboriginal Ryder Cup captains,” Fleetwood stated, asked astir the warm-up lawsuit successful Abu Dhabi, and his 2023 four-point nonaccomplishment to Molinari’s cohort.

“It [the Team Cup] was astonishing for me. I wouldn’t see myself astatine a signifier successful my vocation wherever I would beryllium seen arsenic acceptable to skipper a team, but it was an unbelievable acquisition and a monolithic honour to skipper the GB&I side. I consciousness similar I did larn a lot, but I judge Justin volition beryllium acold much prepared than I was and acold much acceptable for it.

“I deliberation he’s astir apt astatine a signifier wherever he’s people going to lead. Whereas I tried to lead, I benignant of conscionable felt similar I wanted to play with the squad arsenic well. I’m looking guardant to it.”

Fleetwood and immoderate of his peers channelled that nonaccomplishment into a stellar Ryder Cup show arsenic Europe strode distant from the USA 16 ½ to 11 ½ successful Italy, but a further information for the turnaround was the brutal 19-9 nonaccomplishment successful 2021 astatine the hands of Steve Strickler’s Americans.

“Going backmost to getting the level backmost from Whistling Straits [where the 2021 Ryder Cup was held], we got beaten beauteous convincingly," Olympic metallic medallist Fleetwood admitted. “We were reasoning of what we could bash amended and what would springiness america the champion accidental to vie successful Italy.

“One of the archetypal things we came up with was having a squad lawsuit again,” helium added, citing the Team Cup, formerly known arsenic the Hero Cup, arsenic captious mentation for the main clash.

“Timing-wise, January successful Abu Dhabi was perfectly perfect, and we were fortunate to travel up with the event. I bash present deliberation the ecosystem of Team Europe is to astir apt expect a skipper of this squad lawsuit to determination connected to being a skipper successful the Ryder Cup. It volition beryllium large moving forward, and hopefully, it tin transportation on.”

The 2025 Team Cup volition instrumentality spot from January 10-12 astatine the Abu Dhabi Golf Resort. 18 players person been confirmed for the event, including Dubai nonmigratory Fleetwood, however, World No. 3 Rory McIlroy volition not beryllium successful attendance.