There were many highlights in Team Europe’s 16.5 to 11.5 win over Team USA at the 2023 Ryder Cup, one of which was a pairing that had never been tried before.
The team put a marker down early at Marco Simone as it became the first European side in history to open up a 4-0 lead after the Friday morning foursomes.
One of those winning matches saw Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy beat Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, and a new favorite pairing was born, with the duo quickly being dubbed “Fleetwood Mac” by fans and the media.
The pair were at it again a day later in the Saturday morning foursomes, closing out another 2&1 win, this time against Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. But how had it come together? According to Fleetwood in an exclusive interview with Golf Monthly, contrary to popular opinion, it hadn’t been a last-minute decision.
He said: “I think the whole ‘Fleetwood Mac’ thing took a few people by surprise, and there was a perception that it was a bit of a last-minute combination. But that wasn’t the case at all. It was planned for quite a while, and Rory and I knew about it at least three months before we landed in Rome.”
So, what are the crucial elements of a successful foursomes partnership? Fleetwood admitted that while complementary personalities helped, there is another, more practical factor given that the format sees each teammate play the same ball.
He explained: “Our personalities and games match up pretty well - although it would be hard for anyone not to match up with Rory and profit from it - and we use a very similar TaylorMade golf ball. So there were a lot of things going for us. We have been close to playing together before, particularly in foursomes, but it just didn’t work out.”
It wasn’t the first time Fleetwood had enjoyed a successful Ryder Cup partnership that gave rise to memorable nickname.
At the 2018 match in Paris, Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari defeated Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed 3&1 in the Friday morning fourball before beating Thomas and Spieth 5&4 in the foursomes that afternoon.
The pair then got the better of Woods and Reed again in the Saturday morning fourball, before Woods came a cropper for a third time to Molinari and Fleetwood in that afternoon’s foursomes, this time alongside Bryson DeChambeau.
The similarities between 2018 and 2023 are not lost on Fleetwood either. He said: “Obviously in Paris we had the whole Moliwood thing with Francesco Molinari, and they didn’t want to split up me and Frankie - and quite rightly as it turned out since we won four out of four.
“I have always been lucky enough to have great partners, and I definitely hope the pairing with Rory is not a one-off. And I know he feels the same way. We were both very happy with how well it went.”
So, could “Fleetwood Mac” eventually stand alongside legendary Ryder Cup pairings like Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal, and Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam? It’s too early to say, although Fleetwood thinks there’s every chance the band will get back together at Bethpage Black next year.
“We’re going to have to continue playing great golf just to make the team again next year,” he began. “But if we’re both there at Bethpage, I’m pretty sure you’ll see us teaming up again.”
