‘It’ll be my turn soon’: Is Tommy Fleetwood on the cusp of a marquee Open victory?
By Matt Chivers
Tommy Fleetwood is done with disappointment.
Having been “kicked in the teeth” in a recent playoff loss at the RBC Canadian Open, the popular Englishman is still in pursuit of a maiden PGA Tour win, but also a sought-after major trophy.
He has the comfort of home turf at The Open and Fleetwood believes he’s at the front of the queue and waiting his turn to lift his first trophy since November, and some silverware to turn his gold record into platinum.
“Whenever you have a good result, there’s validation in the work that you do and of course, that spurs you on,” Fleetwood said at Hoylake.
“It’s much better having good results than getting kicked in the teeth all the time when you feel like you’re working so hard and doing the right things.
“Good results always spur you on and they give you the confidence to keep pushing on and doing those things.
“I enjoy the game and I enjoy trying to get better and at the moment, we’re in this period where I have to be patient and trust in what we’re doing.
“There are times when it can go either way and it hasn’t gone my way yet. All I can do is keep working hard and keep playing and putting myself in more positions like that, and hopefully, it’ll be my turn soon.”
Tommy Fleetwood makes his move.
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 20, 2023
And the fans love it.
Watch Tommy finish his round live 👉 https://t.co/nF1CsC3YNF pic.twitter.com/zxejBQTp1I
The 32-year-old shot 66 at Royal Liverpool in what he called one of his most enjoyable major rounds ever, just over the water from his hometown of Southport.
This took him to the top of the leaderboard alongside Amateur Champion Christo Lamprecht on day one. Fleetwood’s best finish at on Open thus far is a runner-up finish in 2019.
Much like the Hoylake hero Matthew Jordan, Fleetwood has embraced the UK support and attracted a large crowd on the opening day of 2023’s final major.
“I am one of them, one of the guys that’s out there. I’m a fan of the game. I’m from this area. Yes, I feel at home, and to feel that support, it means a lot.
“Of course, throughout the day, you can easily put too much pressure on yourself. You can easily try too hard. But just having that support and people egging you on, whether you’re hit a good shot or a bad shot, good hole, bad hole.
“Yeah, just pushes you on, and very, very lucky as I said at the start of the week to be able to play an Open so close to home when we get to do it two, three, four times.
“It’s an amazing opportunity and an amazing thing to have the chance to do.
“They’ve been great, and absolutely the northwest is where I’m from. I’ll always be a northwest boy, and to have so many people out there from the area supporting is really, really great.”
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Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.
