'It's always in the back of your mind...' Ryder Cup hero Tommy Fleetwood makes confession
Tommy Fleetwood makes Ryder Cup admission ahead of attempting to land his first PGA Tour title at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Tommy Fleetwood admits he would never want to compete on a European Ryder Cup team if he felt like he would be "a detriment".
Fleetwood, 34, made his feelings be known about the Ryder Cup on the latest episode of the Sky Sports Golf podcast.
The talented Englishman is seeking a fourth appearance on the European Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black this September.
But as it stands with less than six months and counting until automatic qualification, Fleetwood is on the outside looking in for Luke Donald's team.
Fleetwood currently looks on from the 12th rung of the ladder in the 2025 European Ryder Cup team standings.
He needs to crack the top six in order to automatically punch his ticket to New York.
Many would consider Fleetwood a lock for a captain's pick no matter what happens from now until deadline day on 24 August.
But Fleetwood doesn't quite see it that way.
At least if he's not in form around then.
Fleetwood alludes to a conversation he once had with fellow Englishman and Ryder Cup hero Justin Rose in that you don't ever want to feel like a passenger when the Ryder Cup team is announced.
"When qualification starts, it's always going to be in the back of your mind from that point on," Fleetwood told Sky Sports Golf.
"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."
Related:
Across his three previous Ryder Cup appearances, Fleetwood's cumulative record stands at seven wins, three losses, and two halves (7-3-2).
Fleetwood proved a huge thorn in the U.S. team in both victories in 2018 and 2023.
Tommy. Fleetwood.
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Fleetwood Ryder Cup record:
2018 Ryder Cup: 4-1-0
2021 Ryder Cup: 0-1-2
2023 Ryder Cup: 3-1-0
Fleetwood is considered by many as the best player in the world right now without a PGA Tour title to his name.
The World No.10 has come close on several occasions, none more so than when losing to Brooks Koepka by a shot at the 2018 U.S. Open and losing out in a playoff to home favourite Nick Taylor at the 2023 RBC Canadian Open.
Fleetwood has had little trouble closing things out on the DP World Tour down the years, a circuit on which he has won seven times from 2013 through to 2024.
But while the wait continues for him on the PGA Tour, he does at least take heart from the fact he has become one of the most consistent players on the planet in 2025.
Fleetwood anticipates it will all lead to a maiden PGA Tour title sooner rather than later.
"I think I've always felt like consistency is important if you're going to be sort of one of the best players in the world, which I continue to strive to be," said Fleetwood.
"I had a disappointing few weeks in the summer with the Scottish Open and The Open - two events that I love on links golf and didn't play well at all. Since then, I feel like I finished last season really strong and really consistent and started it out again [in 2025].
"At each individual tournament you look at what's been good in your game, what you could improve, like little things that you would like to have done better at. Over a decent time frame, I think my consistency has been really strong and I still feel like I've got plenty more to give.
"I loved Torrey Pines because I felt like there was a period in that tournament where I got into a really good flow. I felt like I was playing great and I was as comfortable on the golf course as I have been in a long time, through certain stretches. That was something to be really happy about."
Listen to the full Tommy Fleetwood interview on the latest edition of the Sky Sports Golf podcast, hosted every week by Jamie Weir. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Spreaker, while vodcast editions can be found on the Sky Sports Golf YouTube channel.
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