Fleetwood fuels Europe in morning Ryder Cup rout at Bethpage Black

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Tommy Fleetwood continued to be a thorn in Team USA’s side, earning his third point in as many Ryder Cup matches Saturday morning as he and Rory McIlroy defeated Collin Morikawa and Harris English 4-and-2 in the morning foursomes at Bethpage Black.

Fleetwood is now 9-3-2 in 14 Ryder Cup matches, a run that has helped buoy Europe in a tight, team-oriented event. According to Data Golf, Morikawa and English were considered the worst pairing out of 132 possible Ryder Cup combinations, but Fleetwood’s form and teamwork with McIlroy carried the day in the opening session of Day 3.

Europe took three points in the Saturday morning session, mirroring the momentum they carried into the day on Friday. The United States, meanwhile, faces an uphill climb and the need for late-day surges if it hopes to turn the tide on this phase of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.

McIlroy, who teamed with Fleetwood in the victory, has been open about balancing interactions with the gallery with sustaining focus. He said Thursday that finding a happy medium is key to maximizing energy without becoming distracted by the crowd.

I feel at times in the Ryder Cup, I have engaged too much with the crowd. But then there are times where I haven't engaged enough. So it's really just trying to find the balance of using that energy from the crowd to fuel your performance, McIlroy said.

Europe captain Luke Donald praised Fleetwood, noting his willingness to contribute to the team and his status as someone many players want to pair with. Fleetwood, who didn’t win a PGA TOUR event until last month, has become a catalyst for Europe in this edition of the event.

As the morning session concluded, Europe held an early edge, but the Ryder Cup is a long, multi-session event. The United States will look to regroup in the later matches as it searches for a pivotal comeback on the Black Course.