Thomas Bjorn has described the performance of Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood as ‘remarkable’ after they became the first European pair to win four matches at a single Ryder Cup.
Molinari, the Open Champion, and Fleetwood, the Race to Dubai holder, have played a starring role in helping Europe establish a 10-6 lead against the United States ahead of the Sunday singles.
Fleetwood’s remarkable rookie appearance will conclude in match five on Sunday when he faces Tony Finau, with Italian Molinari up against Phil Mickelson in match nine.
And Bjorn revealed that the two players had approached him with a view to being paired together.
The Dane said: ‘It’s a remarkable performance, and that pairing came out of long conversations with the two of them, and a relationship they built with each other over a long time.
‘They wanted to do this and when they both said that they were really keen on that pairing, I started looking at facts and figures and everything that was built around them.
‘Speaking to the stats guys and vice-captains, there was never any red flags with the two of them, so I thought, OK, we’ll give it a go. But from there, to what they have done is pretty remarkable.
‘They have had two very long days, and now they have to refocus themselves. They are out there on their own tomorrow, but they are two quality golfers, and it’s quite fun to watch.
‘Francesco, it’s like he’s leaning on golf shots and they land about three feet from the hole. I don’t know what planet he lives on, but it’s not the one that the rest of the players live on, that’s for sure. He’s been phenomenal these two days.’
Having opened Europe’s account with a 3 & 1 victory over Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed in Friday’s fourballs, the pair then saw off Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth 5 & 4 in the foursomes.
There was no let-up on Saturday, with Woods twice on the receiving end – losing 4 & 3 alongside Reed in the morning before partnering Bryson DeChambeau in a 5 & 4 defeat in the afternoon.
‘We were really, really good this afternoon,’ Fleetwood said.
‘We played really solid, we played really well. The piece of history together, it’s very special.
‘I’m glad that we’ve done our job for the team and we can watch the guys come in now. We’ve had a great time.’
Molinari added: ‘We came here to do a job, and it wasn’t to go in the record books or anything like that, it’s about the team, it’s about getting to 14.5.
‘We’re getting closer, but those four-and-a-half points we’re going to need tomorrow, we’re going to have to fight hard for them. It’s not going to be easy. But we’re doing it properly. We’re doing it the right way.’
