While Tommy Fleetwood banked the winning point for Team Europe’s Ryder Cup triumph in 2023, the Brit golfer is in for a fight to qualify for the tournament later this year
Tommy Fleetwood showcased his admirable team spirit by admitting he wouldn’t want to play in the Ryder Cup if his poor form was harming Europe’s chances of winning.
The 34-year-old golfer enjoyed a starring role in the 2023 edition of the tournament as his decisive point against Team USA’s Rickie Fowler led Team Europe to a first Ryder Cup triumph since 2018. Fleetwood went 3–1–0 in the event in what was an impressive showing in Rome.
The competition sparked a good run of form for the Englishman, who has yet to finish lower than 22nd in his last 12 tournament starts. He earned a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics last summer, finishing just one shot behind gold medal winner Scottie Scheffler.
Upon his return to the world’s top 10, Fleetwood finished in the top six in five consecutive events in the DP World Tour season and has since claimed fifth in the PGA Tour’s Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines in February. While he still waits for his maiden PGA Tour victory, his consistent form continues to bring him one step closer.
With the Ryder Cup 2025 edition commencing in September, the 34-year-old is currently outside the automatic qualification places for Team Europe, which will be captained by Luke Donald. Despite three consecutive appearances at the legendary event, Fleetwood displayed his selflessness when explaining that it’s his form that decides whether he makes the team and if he can’t contribute, then he won’t want to take up a spot.
“When qualification starts, it’s always going to be in the back of your mind from that point on,” he said to Sky Sports. “You try not to think about it on a daily basis or a weekly basis, you just try and play the best golf you can each individual week.
“I remember Justin Rose said a really good thing. He said, you only ever want to be on a Ryder Cup team if you feel like you can contribute, if you feel like you’re playing well and you can contribute something to the team. I always look at the Ryder Cup and I want to be there and I want to play, but I would never want to go there feeling like I was playing poorly or playing terribly and I was going to be a detriment to the team.
“As you want to think about it when the qualification is on, you really want to focus on your game week in, week out. Then, whenever the team is either finalised or being selected, you want to be in a spot where you can play well so you know that you can go and contribute to Team Europe.”