Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood delivered an outstanding performance in the Ryder Cup Saturday afternoon four-balls, defeating Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler.
They came away with a 3&2 win, but it was the tension on the 15th green that grabbed most of the attention. The moment kicked off just after DeChambeau sank his birdie putt for a half.
Ted Scott, Scheffler’s caddie, found himself in the middle of it. Frustrations boiled over as Europe kept their grip on control of the competition.
The atmosphere started to turn hostile midway through day two at Bethpage Black. The local fans were not holding back, and neither were their comments.
Europe took advantage of every misstep. As they grew more confident, the Americans looked less sure of themselves with each hole.
Scheffler’s tournament had been tough going even before that point. By Saturday afternoon, he seemed completely out of sorts.
The exchange near the 16th tee felt like a snapshot of how things were going for Team USA all week: unfocused and draining, without any real purpose behind it.
Justin Rose gives insight into what happened with Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau
In the end, Rose and Fleetwood came out on top against DeChambeau and Scheffler.
But what really caught fans’ attention was the late match confrontation between the two sides. Many wanted to know what sparked it.
The 45-year-old discussed the incident with reporters, explaining what transpired on the 15th green and en route to the 16th tee.
Rose explained: “It was a shame the match got to that point. It was a really, really great match. I was waiting to putt, the boys were working on their read and going through their calculations and bits and pieces.
“I waited a few seconds and then I felt like they came up again and I was like it’s my putt right? Maybe I didn’t say it as politely as I could in the moment but by no means was there any disrespect or anything like that but it was taken the wrong way.”
“I don’t think we should dwell on that. I said to the boys if you want me to say excuse me please then it was my bad, but it was an amazing match.”
“We got off to a great start, the quality of golf was exceptional, Tommy played incredibly round the turn and in the middle of the back nine and it was an epic match to be a part of.”
When asked if the hatchet had been buried, Rose responded: “I hope so. It should be. There was no intent behind it whatsoever. Especially Scottie I admire him more than anyone else on Tour the way he goes about his business and his life and obviously huge respect all around. It was something that was taken in a way that wasn’t intended. I was trying to control my environment and we are all competitors. I think it’s all within the framework of what we have got to do here. But happy days!“
Tommy Fleetwood responds to controversy between Justin Rose and Scottie Scheffler
Fleetwood was asked about the incident straight after Rose had finished giving his account of what had happened.
He replied: “It’s part of it, right? It’s one moment out of two days of a lot of golf and a lot of great golf.”
The 34-year-old then made sure to highlight how much he enjoyed playing alongside Rose, regardless of the controversy.
Fleetwood said: “Justin might have complimented me a little bit but he played on his own out there today. Whatever happens. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. But for us I think I really enjoyed being part of that match even though I didn’t contribute that much, just being by Justin’s side was amazing. Every single point is huge and so far we have some blue and want to keep things going.”