Rory McIlroy didn’t look. As Tommy Fleetwood lined up the winning putt on the 14th green, McIlroy turned his back on his playing partner and faced the blue and yellow pocket of European supporters in a stand behind the green. The ball dropped into the cup, the fans leapt to their feet and McIlroy pumped his giant forearms with delight.
Fleetwood’s putt sealed a dominant 5&4 win in the first morning’s foursomes here at Bethpage Black. Fleetwood was excellent and McIlroy was sensational, delivering a putting masterclass to race away from Harris English and Collin Morikawa, going five up through eight holes. A brief embrace between the two teams on the last green was about the closest the Americans ever got.
