Rory McIlroy's comments on Ryder Cup partner Tommy Fleetwood show his true colours
Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood defeated Collin Morikawa and Harris English 5&4 in match three of the Ryder Cup foursomes on Friday morning at Bethpage Black
Rory McIlroy dubbed Tommy Fleetwood one of the best players in the world after the pair defeated Collin Morikawa and Harris English 5 & 4. They shot five under with no bogeys and lost just a single hole to their American counterparts in match three of the Ryder Cup foursomes on Friday morning.
Fleetwood and McIlroy won both foursomes sessions they played in Rome and got Europe off to another good start at Bethpage Black two years on, as they never really gave their opponents a chance, winning the first hole and then taking the 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th. English and Morikawa briefly reduced the arrears to only four by winning the ninth; however, the Europeans responded with the 12th.
McIlroy was full of praise for Fleetwood afterwards. "I've been looking forward to doing this again since that last putt dropped in Rome," McIlroy told BBC Radio 5 Live. "Or at least since Rickie [Fowler] gave Tommy his putt on the 16th green (laughs). It's been amazing to be a part of another European Ryder Cup team.
"To play alongside this guy, he's one of the best players in the world, and to know that I have him by my side, it frees me up. I can play with ultimate trust and ultimate freedom, and you saw a little bit of that today.
He shared a similar sentiment when speaking to Sky Sports. "I think when you've got a partner like Tommy," McIlroy said, "you can play with so much freedom and so much trust in your game because you know you have someone that's going to back you up. And that's how I've felt, the two times we've played in Rome and today.
"Foursomes can be a tough format. You can play a little tentative with the way the format is, but knowing I have this man beside me to bail me out if I do hit a bad shot, that's very comforting to know."
