Voice over: Michael Robles
Writer: Alex Shaw
Video editor: Lance Keller
Tommy Fleetwood has apologised for calling Luke Donald
a ‘s—‘ Ryder Cup captain in an ill-advised joke on live
BBC radio.
Fleetwood said he had “lost track” of where he was after
presenter Rick Edwards issued an immediate apology to
listeners for the swear word, which was clearly said in jest
of the English golfer’s close friend Donald.
Team Europe captain
Donald announced his six wildcard
picks on Monday
for
the showdown in Rome
later this
month, with Fleetwood his first selection for the team to
face the United States at Marco Simone Golf and Country
Club.
US captain Zach Johnson will look to end their 30-year
barren run in Europe with Donald standing in his way but
Fleetwood, speaking on 5 Live Breakfast, turned the air
blue when asked if he had a sense of what type of captain
he would be playing under.
“S—,” he replied, before Edwards apologised for the foul
language. “Sorry, sorry, I lost track of where I am. I take
that back,” Fleetwood added.
“Luke will be amazing. He’s somebody I am very close to.
He’s a calm figure, a confident figure, he’s handled the
biggest moment in the sport unbelievably well.
“To have someone leading from the front like that has
been great. He’s definitely brought his personality to the
captaincy.
“I do feel very honoured, as a friend as well but to play
under a European legend, I am looking forward to
experiencing his captaincy.”
Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari’s ‘Moliwood’
partnership won four points in Paris in 2018 and played a
significant role in Europe’s seven-point winning margin
under Thomas Bjorn.
This time around, captain Donald has selected Ludvig
Aberg,
who will become the most inexperienced player in
Ryder Cup history
just four months after leaving college to
turn professional.
“From the day that he [Aberg] turned pro, there was
definitely a talking point that ‘this guy is good enough to
make the Ryder Cup team’. It’s not come as a shock to
anybody,” Fleetwood said.
“You look at the young superstars of the team and it is a
great set up. I am very, very excited to go and play with
them.”
Donald’s decision meant he omitted Adrian Meronk, much
to many observers’ surprise after the Pole won the Italian
Open on the Ryder Cup course at Marco Simone in May
and finished fifth on the European points table.
“You look at the guys who have qualified and look at the
guys who were picked and it is an amazing team to get
into,” Fleetwood added. “The standard is not getting any
weaker.
“The best place I have ever been in golf is the European
team room. You make some of the best friends and you
have some of the best experiences.
