Europe’s latest Ryder Cup triumph came wrapped in tension and hostility. At Bethpage Black, the European squad found themselves walking into a storm of noise and jeers as the home crowd made sure to put the visitors under unrelenting pressure. However, the Luke Donald-led side had already prepared for this hostile reception with the help of technology. Notably, Tommy Fleetwood recently made an interesting revelation about who used the setup the most and it came as a massive surprise.

From the very first day of the Ryder Cup, the US fans fired chants, taunts, and at times outright abuse toward the European players. However, the European stars made sure to maintain their composure, and instead of succumbing to the noise, they battled their way to victory. Now, while many have already shared their unfiltered, serious opinions on the matter, Fleetwood has shared a story about how his son, Frankie, too, dealt with the hostile scenario.

Tommy Fleetwood recently sat for a candid conversation with Pep Guardiola of Men in Blazers. The host, Roger Bennett, recalled Rory McIlroy revelation about how the team used virtual-reality headsets during practice to simulate the hostile environment they would face from loud and abusive U.S. fans. Guardiola asked Fleetwood what was the process behind the team deciding which specific insults, chants, or hostile crowd noises to play through the VR headsets during training.

The English golfer began by stating, “We all had a personal one. So you got like your own, you got your own little set of abuse there and abuse calls.” Adding to that, Fleetwood shared another instance and shared, “Actually, I don’t think anybody wore the headset more than my 8-year-old Frankie. Frankie loved it in balls in it, but he stood there, you know, he stood there in the middle of the living room with his headsets on, swiping away at a golf ball, getting abused, and he loved it.” Narrating the story, Frankie’s father added, “He absolutely loved it. Might not have been the greatest form of parenting there, but he had a great time.”

It is safe to say that the European players benefited from the VR setup as they clinched a victory for the ages. Recently, Fleetwood also shared what the secret strategy of Team Europe was behind securing the win.

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Tommy Fleetwood reveals secret strategy that won them the Ryder Cup 2025

The Ryder Cup came in with a lot of pressure for Team Europe. Playing on home turf, the likes of Keegan Bradley and Justin Thomas were heavily favored to win the tournament. Add to that the added pressure of the crowds constantly chirping in favor of the home team. Thus, all in all, the conditions were extremely hostile. Surprisingly, despite all the adversities, it was Team Europe who came out on the winning side. 

Notably, Team Europe found an able captain in Luke Donald. After leading the team to their second consecutive Ryder Cup victory, Donald was showered with praise. While praising the captain, Tommy Fleetwood revealed the secret sauce that led to the victory. Posting a picture alongside Donald, Fleetwood wrote, “@LukeDonald led like he did in Rome, but with more armour, power, knowledge, and experience. He deserves all the credit, we were just the pieces on a chessboard.”

What Fleetwood wanted to convey with the chessboard metaphor was how well-strategized the entire tournament was for Europe. With Donald overseeing the team’s preparations and plans, each member was assigned a separate role, which they executed to perfection in order to register the prestigious win.