Justin Rose praised Tommy Fleetwood for securing a long-awaited first PGA Tour title with victory at the season-ending Tour Championship, believing it bodes well for an “in-form” Europe looking ahead to the Ryder Cup.
Fleetwood, who along with Rose is one of Europe’s six automatic qualifiers for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black next month, claimed FedExCup victory with an impressive three-shot win at East Lake last week.
European captain Luke Donald still has his six captain’s picks yet to make – doing so live on Sky Sports Golf at 2pm on Monday – and though Rose isn’t envious of his task, he feels the team are in good shape whoever Donald decides to choose.
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David Howell gives his verdict as to who European captain Luke Donald should pick as his Ryder Cup wildcard choices.
“That’s the tough part about being a captain, invariably you’re going to have to let a couple of guys down,” Rose told Sky Sports.
“That is probably the only sad part. The rest is probably very fulfilling.
“Luke’s hardest decisions are coming on Monday, but I think he has a lot to be positive about.
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Highlights from the final round of the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship, in Atlanta, Georgia.
“The team has formed itself really nicely for the most part, and the final bits of detail are obviously down to the captain and his backroom staff to figure out the best blend.”
Specifically on the challenge that awaits Europe of trying to defend the crown at Bethpage in front of a likely hostile New York crowd, Rose added: “We’ve been talking about it for a long time, and that’s the unknown.
“But I think the team’s ready from a form point of view.
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Justin Rose won the St Jude Championship as part of the FedExCup playoffs
“The crowd is something that’s hard to prepare for, but I think we need to have the mindset of being ready for anything. And obviously enjoy the experience as best we can.”
USA captain Keegan Bradley announced his six captain’s picks on Wednesday, opting against including himself in a dual player-captain role, despite finishing in 11th place in the qualification standings.
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The 39-year-old said he was “heartbroken” at the decision, as he instead chose Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns to complete Team USA’s line-up.
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Speaking on The Sky Sports Golf Podcast, Keegan Bradley admits that leaving himself out of Team USA at the Ryder Cup was a tough decision and says he hasn’t had a full night sleep in about a month.
“They’ve got such strength and depth that there’s going to be contenders that missed out, including obviously Keegan himself,” Rose said.
“I mean, he deserved to play in terms of his form. I was just surprised he left it as late as he did to make that decision.
“But fair play to him for backing his leadership skills and backing the 12 players he’s put in place.”
Speaking further on Fleetwood’s FedExCup win to secure his first PGA Tour title at the 164th attempt, Rose said: “He’s a big pal of mine and I think the whole golfing world was happy for him.
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Tommy Fleetwood gave his reaction after finally ending his long wait to win a PGA Tour title as he triumphed at the Tour Championship.
“To be honest with you, it’s been coming for a long time, but it’s very easy to say that.
“Everyone’s been telling Tommy, ‘don’t worry, mate, just a matter of time’. But obviously you want to get that win under your belt, as he did.
“To win the FedExCup made up for quite a few of the losses. It was an amazing week for him.”
What’s next ahead of the Ryder Cup?
Donald will announce the six captain’s pick to complete Team Europe’s Ryder Cup line-up on Monday September 1, live from 2pm on Sky Sports, with the European side set to be similar to their winning team in 2023.
The only PGA Tour event before the Ryder Cup is the Procore Championship in California, held from September 11-14, where the majority of Bradley’s American team are expected to compete.
There will be extended live coverage from every day of Ryder Cup week, starting on Monday September 22, with round-the-clock coverage then live from 9am on Friday September 26.
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