THE MODERATOR: Luke. Joined now by European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald. Let's jump in for some quick questions.
Q. Do you find it a little - I don't know what the right word to use is - odd, that Tommy didn't win a championship until last month, but this event, he just knows what it takes and gets it done?
LUKE DONALD: Well, I think it's a little unfair to say he hasn't won a championship since a month ago. He's a world-class player that's won a bunch around the world.
Yeah, it took him a little time and had to go through a few opportunities that let slip for sure, but I think that, you know, for Tommy, he reframes it in such a positive way. I think that if you see it in a positive way, the ones that get away, it only makes you stronger.
You know, I think Tommy, he's a guy that just loves being around the team. He loves contributing to that team. Yeah, he's a nice player to play with. I think he's at the top of the list of a lot of guys on the team that people want to play with.
Q. Obviously a lot was made of the President being here today. Did he say anything to you or your guys at all when he was out there on the tee?
LUKE DONALD: Yeah, I saw Mr. President and shook his hand and said hello, and he said, "You know what, you're becoming a real great leader." It was nice of him to say that.
It was, again, nice of him to support this event, and yeah.
Q. You got 3½ points today out of Rory and Jon Rahm. Knowing the dynamics that are involved with trying to win a road game, what's it like being able to lean on those two guys in particular?
LUKE DONALD: Yeah, massive. I don't think Jon has lost in a team -- one of the team, the four-balls or foursomes, since Paris. He's an incredible leader for us on and off the course, mostly with the way he plays, a leader.
Rory is probably slightly more vocal in the team room, but again, Rory's talked about what the Ryder Cup means and the disappointments we saw in Wisconsin and how much he relishes Ryder Cups and the opportunity to try and be a part of them and hopefully be on winning teams. He's made it quite clear that one of his big goals was to win an away Ryder Cup again.
Yeah, he played fantastic golf today.
Q. Fitzy, given his track record in this event, just with the way he played and how that went, was it particularly pleasing to see him play that well, and what you thought of him and Ludvig together, seeing them for the first time in this event?
LUKE DONALD: Yeah, they gelled very well. You never know when you're trying new partnerships under intense pressure, but they seemed very relaxed. Their personalities really gelled, and their games were fantastic.
Fitzy especially played some scintillating golf. He looked very comfortable out there. He look very confident. Just great to see because, you know, there's been some media about his Ryder Cup record. You know, I've always kept telling him, you know, you just never know when it's time to go and make some points. You know, I mentioned it even two years ago that Seve's first two Ryder Cups, I think he made one point, and now he's the legend of Europe.
So there's always time. There's always this moment that he can contribute, and you know, it was really good to see how well he played and how comfortable he looked out there.
Q. In the afternoon, there was an incident where Rory made a gesture towards the crowd. Are you aware of that? Can you comment on it at all?
LUKE DONALD: I'm not aware. What hole was that?
Q. I think it was the 11th hole.
LUKE DONALD: Sorry, I'm not aware of that.
Q. Okay.
LUKE DONALD: But you know, I was definitely proud of the guys, how they handled the situation, a tough environment out there.
Q. Back to Jon. Is he a guy that you've had conversations with about going out first? Like is he someone that's come out how and said, I want to go out first; I want to be in this spot?
LUKE DONALD: Not necessarily. I think Jon is looking to always just help in any way he can to contribute to the team.
But he has a good track record of going out first. So he likes to lead. Again, I feel like he's someone that he wants to do a lot of his talking with his golf clubs, and that's what he brings to our team and our team room. People, all our teammates, really respect that.
Q. We've been asking you questions for two years about the challenge of playing on the road and winning. Is there anything specific that you saw today that showed that whatever preparations or strategy you've been doing, it kind of played out?
LUKE DONALD: A lot of mental resilience. I think you just look at some of the putts these guys holed when it mattered is pretty gratifying for a captain.
Obviously this morning, to create a little bit of history with the three matches and how they were won was great. History is nice to accomplish. It doesn't mean anything unless we get 14½ points on Sunday.
But I just think, you know, even this afternoon, it gets louder as it goes. You cross the road and there's a lot of grandstands. There's a lot of hospitality. In the afternoon, maybe guys have had a couple more beverages. You know, it gets loud, and the guys handled it with absolute class and poise.
You know, obviously talked about that, to be prepared for an away Ryder Cup, you have to deal with that. I thought they dealt with it amazing.
Q. Going back to Rome now, you have five guys on your team who are 3-0 in the foursomes sessions, the two in Rome, and of course today. I know we don't have pairings yet, but I would imagine it will all be out tomorrow. Who gets credit for that beyond the players for forming these teams and giving you what I think of as almost a firewall with these guys who are so good in that format?
LUKE DONALD: Yeah, a couple people. We do a little bit of profiling. So we look at people's general characteristics and how they match up. I think that's important with foursomes, especially.
But also, I've got to give a lot of credit to Edoardo. I think he's so switched on statistic-wise. Probably out of all the vice captains, he's the one I talk to the most just because he really has a big part of our strategy and how we go about the pairing, the orders. He's very tuned in to that stuff.
Yeah, he's a big asset to me.
Q. Can I ask a quick follow-up on that? You talked about the things that go well together. I know you're referring to parts of their game and statistics. What about personality? Is that a consideration when you look at a foursomes team?
LUKE DONALD: I think so. Yeah, it's a little bit easier to put four-ball guys together in personality. But foursomes, it's a little bit more of a team, isn't it. I mean, you have to rely on your teammate even more.
I just look at the successful partnership I had with Sergio. I thought we were quite different personality-wise. He was energetic, upbeat. I was pretty stoic, pretty just in my own little lane, but it seemed to work very well. I think I've learned a lot from that successful partnership.
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