SOUTHPORT, England — As a boy rising up in Southport, Tommy Fleetwood and his mates would sneak onto the course at Royal Birkdale Golf Membership, web site of this week’s British Open Championship.
“I’ve achieved it a few times,” Fleetwood stated Monday. “It wasn’t prefer it occurred on daily basis.”
On Sunday, Fleetwood needed nothing greater than to win his first main championship within the city the place he grew up and discovered to play golf.
A British-born golfer has not received the British Open since Nick Faldo received his third Claret Jug in 1992.
“It is clearly one thing very particular,” Fleetwood stated. “For somebody who was fortunate sufficient to develop up within the city of Southport, I feel it is a very {golfing} city. The British Open at Birkdale has a particular place within the space. Effectively, it is a dream in itself to have the ability to play within the British Open right here, so I really feel very, very fortunate.”
This isn’t the primary time the reigning FedEx Cup champion will likely be competing within the British Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. In 2017, he opened with a 6-over 76 however needed to come again within the second spherical to qualify.
Fleetwood completed tied for twenty seventh place, 1 over and 13 strokes behind champion Jordan Spieth.
“Clearly we had a nasty first spherical,” Fleetwood stated. “I feel Friday’s spherical was probably the greatest rounds I’ve ever performed and received. Saturday was an excellent expertise getting out early with Justin (Rose).”
9 years later, Fleetwood, 35, is among the most proficient golfers on the planet. He has received 11 instances around the globe and is ninth within the Official World Golf Rating. He received his first PGA Tour victory eventually yr’s Tour Championship.
Fleetwood will likely be making his forty fifth main league begin. He was runner-up on the 2018 US Open and 2019 British Open Championships.
“There isn’t any query about it. I feel profitable a serious is sort of the last word honor in our sport,” Fleetwood stated. “It is a robust query. I do not wish to look to the long run and fear and suppose that I’ve to win a serious to really feel fulfilled. I feel, like everybody else right here, we spend our lives giving it our all. It might or might not occur to me.”
There is no such thing as a doubt that tens of 1000’s of followers will likely be cheering on Fleetwood this week. There’s a mural of him on the wall of Southport & Birkdale Sports activities Membership and one other portray on the garden of a shopping mall close to Liverpool.
“Golf is a really private sport, and like several golfer, I really feel like I spend my life chasing my targets and goals, and it is achieved on a really private foundation,” Fleetwood stated. “I’ve all the time been so blessed with the sort of assist on the planet, however I feel it’s totally particular to see folks so emotionally invested in you and present one thing like that. It undoubtedly does not go unnoticed to me.”
Fleetwood and his household now stay principally in Dubai, however preserve ties to Southport. He has memberships at Formby Corridor Golf Resort & Spa and Hillside Golf Membership, the place he performed as a junior. “Everybody who performs the British Open goals of profitable the British Open and needs to win it,” Fleetwood stated. “In that sense, I am no totally different than anybody else. I simply suppose I am one of many fortunate folks to have residence assist and to have the ability to use that as actually, actually optimistic vitality.”
