Golfing legend Tony Jacklin has showered praise on Tommy Fleetwood, celebrating his recent triumphs while offering his first public reflections on Team Europe’s hard-fought Ryder Cup victory in New York.
In conversation with Champions Speakers, a leading UK Speakers agency and headline sponsors of the Champions UK plc European Seniors Masters on the Legends Tour which takes place at La Manga Golf Club in Spain in early November, Jacklin covered a variety of topics and Fleetwood’s stellar 2025 season capped off what Jacklin feels is a transformative year for one of golf’s most respected figures.
“He’s an all-round good egg and now one of the best golfers in the world,” Jacklin said. “He’s paid his dues with so many close calls that he must have wondered if it would ever happen. I’m delighted for him.”
Shifting to the Ryder Cup, Jacklin addressed the contentious atmosphere surrounding Europe’s win, particularly criticising the conduct of some American fans. He described their behavior as “despicable” and pointed out how it nearly disrupted the competition.
“What disappointed me was the behaviour of sections of the American galleries. It was despicable at times. They even came within minutes of stopping play. Security wasn’t up to it,” Jacklin explained. “When you have a mass of people and an announcer leading anti-opposition chants, that’s the last thing golf needs.”
Jacklin referenced Golfweek’s Eamonn Lynch’s suggestion that the PGA of America might need external help to manage the event’s growing scale, adding, “I don’t disagree. You can’t just assume it’ll be fine, you need careful management and the right venue setup.” He also took aim at the PGA of America’s leadership, stating, “I think the President of the PGA of America is fortunate to still be in the job after suggesting it was a similar situation to Rome. It wasn’t.”
Despite the hostility, Jacklin commended Team Europe’s preparation under captain Luke Donald. “They did a hell of a job. I think they were forewarned and well prepared, Luke [Donald] deserves credit for that,” he said. “From what I’ve read, they visited two or three times before the event. Luke wasn’t taking anything for granted.”
On the team’s performance, Jacklin noted the intensity of the final day. “There weren’t many surprises, until the final day,” he recalled. “Then the Americans surged and things got tense very quickly. Luke did a thorough job. He was absolutely the right captain. He’d had a dry run in Rome with essentially the same side, 11 of the same players, so he already knew which partnerships clicked.”
Like most, Jacklin thought the contest was all but over as Europe took a seven-point lead into the final day and expected them to close it out early on Sunday.
“Europe hit the ground running and were superb for the first two days. I was amazed the Americans came back as strongly as they did on Sunday,” Jacklin said. “At one point I thought it would be done by three o’clock, but I was still there around 5:15 and it turned into a memorable contest.”
A veteran of 11 Ryder Cups – seven as a player and four as captain – Jacklin is well versed in the unpredictability of match play, and feels that had Shane Lowry not gotten that crucial half-point that ensure that Europe retained the Cup, then that may have tipped the scales in the United States’ favour.
“Match play is all about momentum, you never quite know what you’re going to get,” he said. “It reminded me of 1989, my last year as captain, when Seve, Faldo, and Woosnam were all beaten. Similarly this time, Fleetwood and McIlroy were down in their matches. That’s not where you want to be, except Europe had built a big lead. If Shane doesn’t hole that putt, it could have flipped to the Americans. It was that close.”
Jacklin was on the receiving end of one of golf’s all-time great sportsmanship moments when Jack Nicklaus conceded Jacklin’s par putt on the 18th hole in the final match, ensuring that the contest ended in a tie although the United States retained the cup having won it two years previously in 1967.
Nicklaus reportedly told Jacklin that he didn’t think the Englishman would miss the putt, but he didn’t want to give him the opportunity to do so. And Jacklin continues to emphasise the importance of fair play in the contest, both in the way that the teams are treated by the organisers and by the supporters.
“I always believed Europe could win on a level playing field. Back in the 1980s we addressed the big issues, how the team is treated, time together in the team room, first-class logistics, and once we did that, results followed,” he reflected. However, he noted the strain of the home advantage in New York: “This time, though, the home-crowd advantage was pushed to the limit. It felt fragile. But in the end, it was all right, and it’s given the Americans something to think about. I read comments from past U.S. captains who were ashamed of the behaviour. That says a lot. In Ireland, if we’re all still kicking, I expect a very different atmosphere.”
Leave a comment