Tommy Fleetwood is living the dream this week back home in Southport, the seaside town where one of the greatest English golfers of his generation grew up.
The exact nature of that dream remains open to interpretation, but Fleetwood has been soaking in the sunkissed links and the delightfully respectful applause with each swish of his club throughout his preparation. A record 300,000 spectators are expected at this week’s Open Championship, many of whom will flock to his star-studded group for rounds one and two, which includes Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth.
But it seems that his legion of fans have a slightly different dream for Fleetwood, one specifically attached to an outcome alone, with his hands holding the Claret Jug aloft on Sunday to tick off one final, meteoric box in a career packed with accolades: a major championship.
“It’s obviously very, very special,” Fleetwood remarked on the opportunity to play at Royal Birkdale in The Open. “I think for anybody that was lucky enough to grow up in the town of Southport, it’s such a golfing town.
“It’s a dream just to be competing in an Open here, so I feel very, very lucky. I’m just excited for the opportunity to play in front of everybody. It’s very rare to have an opportunity to play a tournament, let alone The Open, in the town where you grew up in front of fans that were all there to support you. So I’m very excited.”
Despite learning the game at Formby Hall, Fleetwood was eight years old when he started to dream of playing in The Open and the hallowed turf of Royal Birkdale. So much so that he joined his dad, sneaking onto the property “once or twice”. The access to the fifth hole provided a shot of adrenaline for as long as it lasted, like a fox carefully navigating its way up the lawn of a back garden it is not supposed to be in. Now he is the third favourite to win this week, behind only Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, with attention firmly fixed on his every step.
This Sunday, 19 July, could be Fleetwood’s time, too, with the symmetry of the World Cup final allowing many to yearn for the world No 9 to secure a maiden major merely an hour before England step onto the pitch in New Jersey.
In the only major championship outside of the United States, it is unusual for McIlroy not to be the most popular player, yet the feverish desire to see Fleetwood win may take over in the next few days. A splash of blue, an indelible mark on Fleetwood’s career from his formidable time with Europe in the Ryder Cup, covers the back of Southport and Birkdale Sports Club in a mural painted by Liverpool artist Paul Curtis.
Second in the 2018 US Open and again at The Open a year later at Portrush, behind an inspired Shane Lowry, mark Fleetwood’s best major championship finishes. Yet there is not a shade of yellow on his major record grid, the colour that famously depicts a top 10 major finish, since a tie for third at the Masters in 2024. The rollercoaster ride on the PGA Tour and, finally, a victory on American soil in last year’s Tour Championship provided a cathartic experience for himself and his fans.
But that home support can also be misleading. The familiarity is helpful, sure, bringing comfort and additional strategy not afforded to some from across the pond sampling the links for the first time, though two new holes this week at the 5th and the devilish par-three 15th provide a new wrinkle to even the most experienced players.
McIlroy’s missed cut at Royal Portrush in 2019 offers a cautionary tale; the seismic energy that transcends across the property can work in both ways, particularly when momentum gathers pace in the wrong direction.
“It’s a great environment but tough in a way that you just feel the extra expectation on your shoulders, and you feel like you’re trying to play well for everyone else and not for yourself,” McIlroy said of the advantage of playing a major championship at a home course.
”I think there’s already enough pressure on anyone in this field to play well for themselves, so to add that extra layer on top of that is always pretty difficult.
“Yeah, like Tommy coming back here, for example, he grew up five minutes away, but I feel like Tommy’s more level-headed than I am, and he won’t fall into that trap like I did in 2019. It always seems like it takes me one good round to get it right.”
This is also where Fleetwood’s maturity enters the conversation, even beyond major championship disappointment. There was the agony of that final putt at the Travelers Championship last year and, even further back, how he absorbed a haymaker from Nick Taylor’s eagle in a playoff and the bedlam that surrounded the green as a home favourite won the 2023 Canadian Open.
Fleetwood has dealt with heartbreak and maybe, upon reflection, the dream is merely the moments themselves, rather than the outcome. Undoubtedly, Fleetwood failing to win a major would be a disappointment, particularly for a player of his exceptional talent. But after the deep thoughts of Scheffler last year, sometimes the journey brings as much satisfaction as the result.
“Whatever happens in my career, I’ll be able to look back and say that I gave it everything and I had an amazing time doing it,” Fleetwood concluded ahead of this year’s Open. “I would definitely much prefer to have a major or two or three on my resumé by the time my career is over. Whether that happens or not is sometimes out of your control, but I think making sure you have a great time chasing it is the ultimate thing.
“Dreams do come true, we watch it all the time. But you’ll never find out if yours will unless you chase it. Mine might come true, it might not.”
