OUR LINE-UP IS JUST PAIRFECT

BROOKS KOEPKA and Daniel Berger took their special college bond into the big boys’ playground of the the Ryder Cup.

The pals were great at Whistling Straits to sink Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick and play their part in the early United States assault on Europe.

Koepka and Berger go back years having taken their education together at Florida State and Koepka says it was ideal to have an understanding for the job in hand.

He said: “There’s some part of knowing your partner, understanding the little nuances.

“Are they comfortable over a shot? Do they love it? Do they not like it? You can tell and that helps.

“He’s about three years younger and he probably played a little bit more with my brother. I knew about him more than probably we played.

“I knew he was a good player growing up in the same area. I think college helped a lot. Basically, we were hanging out 24/7 pretty much. It was fun.

“We had a great time there at school and had a great time out here.

“So I love the pairing. I’m comfortable with him. I know what he’s thinking, what he’s doing before he even does it so it makes it a lot easier.”

Berger accepts the understanding is important, but reckons the fact he’s also a Major champion as well as a pal isn’t such a bad bonus.

He said: “We have two different styles of games.

“I’m more methodical and he’s more bomb-andgauge. When you pair us up, we complement each other’s games.

“I felt like we could have played much better, but the bottom line is that we earned a point.

“It’s not tough to partner up with a fourtime Major champion. He’s really good at golf !

“He hits a lot of great golf shots, so I just try to put them in the fairway.”