Hello friends and welcome to this week’s edition of the Rogers Report, where we are very happy for Tommy Fleetwood and the fact that he secured his first PGA Tour win, but also very stressed for Keegan Bradley and all the big Ryder Cup decisions he has to make this week.
Speaking with @Keegan_Bradley he said some members of @RyderCupUSA told him they want him to be a Playing Captain. He also said, “There is probably going to be a few guys that think they are going to be on the team that aren’t going to be.” He added phone calls will be “Awful!” pic.twitter.com/PlDcJy5w73
I would not want to be the one making those phone calls. Good luck, captain Bradley!
And now for a quick housekeeping note before we get into the good stuff. We launched GOLF 101 last week, a video series for anyone who is new to the golf space and wants to learn about it. We’re starting off with lessons on the Ryder Cup and will expand to etiquette, instruction, tournaments and more.
My favorite golf friendship
There are a dozen or so golf friendships that I absolutely adore. I love what Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa had at previous Ryder Cups. I love the way Shane Lowry embraced Rory McIlroy after his win at the Masters earlier this year. I enjoy the fact that Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns share a rental house on the road most weeks and I love seeing Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas interact on the golf course. However, my current favorite friendship in men’s professional golf is that of Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood.
The most wholesome moments at PGA Tour events often come just before and after the final putt drops, when the broadcast pans over to the pros who have stuck around to watch their pal win. On Sunday at East Lake, the Roses and Lowrys stood alongside Fleetwood’s stepson, Oscar, and cheered as their friend and Ryder Cup teammate secured his first PGA Tour victory. Not only did it secure the Fleetwood and Rose friendship as my current favorite, it quickly became one of my favorite golf moments of the year.
I love watching celebrities and professional athletes record things on their own phone when it’s abundantly clear that there will be better footage of the moment they’re capturing on social media, television and Getty Images. But Rose doesn’t care. He did what the rest of us would do for a pal on the brink of their dream coming true: capturing it for his own memories. The best!
This felt as good as winning myself! So happy for my man @TommyFleetwood1 for enduring the relentless pressure cooker his quality golf has put him in during these playoffs and there is no more deserving champ. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/SWn6xtQbNB
Not only did Rose stick around to watch Fleetwood win, he FaceTimed Fleetwood’s family back at home so they could celebrate as well. This is a bromance I am all in on.
Ok last “I’m obsessed with Fleetwood and Rose’s friendship” post for the time being but Rose is in Everton’s comment section hyping up his pal and it’s all so sweet pic.twitter.com/AUdDCOK584
Rose wasn’t the only pro who shared how excited he was about Fleetwood’s win. You can tell when a player is adored by their peers when everybody jumps in to congratulate them, and that’s exactly what happened on Sunday night. He even got a congratulatory tweet from Tiger Woods, which is almost as impressive as the win itself.
Your journey is a reminder that hard work, resilience, and heart do pay off. No one deserves it more. Congrats @TommyFleetwood1!
I am so incredibly proud of and happy for Tommy Fleetwood and his gutsy perseverance over what has been a terrific professional golf career. Yesterday marked the culmination of decades of hard work and resilience, culminating in the glory of a PGA TOUR win. It was great to see… pic.twitter.com/98g8whPD4J
Fleetwood’s Instagram post from East Lake is flooded with comments from fellow pros as well.
Golfers weren’t the only athletes tuned in to Fleetwood’s win on Sunday evening. LeBron James live-tweeted a good chunk of the final round (please don’t come for my job, LeBron), and stars from other sports chimed in as well.
Congrats and 🫡 @TommyFleetwood1!!! That first one feeling is something else! Especially after dealing with adversity and shortcomings. Too 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🏆
It’s no surprise everyone is happy for Fleetwood when you remember just how positive he is about golf and life.
Social media reacts to Tommy Fleetwood’s win
And finally (and as always), there was a bunch of superb golf Twitter content from Fleetwood’s win at East Lake that I’d be wrong to overlook.
ohh look at me, i’m tommy fleetwood. i just won 10 million dollars. and overcame my greatest hurdle. i’m universally beloved. i have incredible perspective on life’s highs and lows. also awesome hair. lebron can’t stop tweeting about me. whatever man
Pretty telling that Tommy Fleetwood handled his first PGA Tour winner’s interview with the exact same sense of perspective and levity that followed every heartbreaking loss https://t.co/9R6WspEUG2
