Fleetwood opens up on what really happened at Bethpage Black that caused DeChambeau to lose his cool completely
Bryson DeChambeau loses the plot
Tommy Fleetwood reckons Francesco Molinari has the status to succeed Luke Donald.
Europe’s heroic Ryder Cup captain has yet to commit to a third term after back-to-back wins in Rome and New York.
Donald and Ryder Cup Europe chiefs will have discussions soon on the issue and he could easily take the role again for Adare Manor in 2027.
If he decides it’s two and done, hierarchy will have to find a successor and the names of two of Fleetwood’s playing partners Molinari and Justin Rose have been banded around.
Rose has intimated that he wants to keep playing having helped both of Donald’s wins, while the Italian star has also been a key component of the regime having been a vice-captain in both his homeland and the USA.
Team Europe’s Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari celebrate(Image: PA)
Molinari has a stellar CV as a Ryder Cup player with three wins from three appearances and also claimed five points in a 100 per cent record 2018 in Paris.
Fleetwood was his partner during that France epic with the duo dubbed Moliwood in the aftermath and the Turin star’s brother Edoardo is the analytics guru of Team Europe.
The Southport star has asked for his take and said: “Yeah, we’ll see what happens. I think the ball is probably in Luke’s court,and I think he’s earned that. Justin is going to be playing in the Ryder Cup when he’s 102 years old, maybe! Like we might have to wait awhile for Justin to be a captain.
“And Francesco, I spoke to Francesco about it numerous times. I think the respect he has from his peers and the players, his accomplishments and his experience, I think goes a long way to being a Ryder Cup Captain.
“It’s up to the individual if they want to put their names forward and see where it goes from there. Whether it’s Luke or anybody else, I think we have an amazing blueprint as Team Europe and I think we have amazing captains lying in wait that will do an amazing job. We’ll see where we go in the future. But I think we are in good hands for a long time.”
Both Molianari and Rose were involved in the Saturday afternoon dust-up at Bethpage when Bryson DeChambeau lost the plot at the side of the 15th green after the Englishman asked the American’s caddy to get out of the way as he lined up a putt.
Fleetwood said: “I thought the situation got blown out of proportion from the minute it happened. I think it’s obvious to see on the TV, Justin wanted his space, like he was getting ready to hit and he wanted his space.
“Could have said it in a nicer way, probably, like he said but an intense moment. I was right there when he apologised straightaway. At that point, like, it’s done.
“Really, people get things wrong in the moment. Justin said: I’m sorry. Some people wanted to make it a bigger thing than what it was. You know, so then you hold your ground and that’s just what happens, really. But it was blown out of proportion at the time but it was over in a few minutes.”
Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood embrace(Image: Getty Images)
Despite that incident, Fleetwood still scopped the Nicklaus-Jacklin Award presented by Aon for the sportsmanship.
He said: “It was a nice surprise, actually. It’s one of those awards that you don’t obviously have it as a goal because you just are out there play golf.
“The ultimate is winning the Ryder Cup and you try and do everything the right way, the right spirit. I try and play the way that I would respect playing against in that sense.
“I really didn’t expect to get it. I know Justin got it two years ago. We are the only two that won this award. It was a really nice thing to have at the end of the week.
“I always try and set like good examples to my kids and to everyone else. And to have an award that for that is really sweet.”
