Team Europe’s Matt Fitzpatrick noted he learned a little bit about winning from NBA legend Michael Jordan while training at Jordan’s golf club in Florida ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup
16:20 ET, 03 Oct 2025Updated 16:32 ET, 03 Oct 2025
Michael Jordan at the 2025 Ryder Cup(Image: Getty Images)
English golfer Matt Fitzpatrick was one of Team Europe’s standout players during their 15-13 Ryder Cup victory over Team USA last week at Bethpage Black.
The 32-year-old former US Open winner went 3-1-1 overall, snagging a crucial half point off Bryson DeChambeau in the Sunday singles to help stave off a furious American comeback.
Speaking on the High Performance podcast, Fitzpatrick revealed he spent a little bit of time with NBA legend Michael Jordan, who attended the Ryder Cup on Friday, at Jordan’s golf club in Florida. The British golfer also revealed he’s borrowed information from the man who coaches Jordan at the course.
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“I have not spent a lot of time with him, but I’m a member of his club in Florida, and the guy who coaches him has learnt a lot off [of] Michael and he’s shared some of that with me,” Fitzpatrick said.
“His big thing was practicing with intensity. It’s like every shot matters. That is one thing we have tried to add to practice away from tournaments. It’s harder at tournaments because you only really have the range.”
“But [away from tournaments] we can create the intensity by saying if you don’t complete it, start again. And then if you don’t complete it again, start again.
“It’s things like that that I think were so big for him, and that’s what I have been told by the coach at the Grove, Darren May, and I think that’s a fantastic lesson. That every shot has an intention, and it’s intense, and there’s a consequence to it.”
Matt Fitzpatrick at the 2025 Ryder Cup(Image: Getty Images)
“I think it’s hard to have that in golf because it’s easy to just drag another ball out and start again, but if you have only got five shots, you need to hit it here the first one; if you don’t, you are done. It’s having those things, like a task that has a consequence.”
Fitzpatrick boasts 10 career wins on the PGA Tour. The current world No. 6 player finished fourth at the 2025 Open Championship and is now a two-time Ryder Cup champion.
Former Italian and Chelsea soccer player Gianfranco Zola was in attendance at the Ryder Cup as a guest of the European teams and noticed Jordan standing next to President Donald Trump.
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The diminutive Italian emphasized who he would rather speak with. “We were next to [Trump] on Friday afternoon, even though we didn’t speak,” Zola said.
“But I almost looked more at Michael Jordan, a legend. I would have loved to take a picture, even if I wouldn’t have looked great next to him; the height difference would have been embarrassing.”
