When a tour pro’s winnings get paid into your bank account
Ever opened up your bank app to find $154,000 sitting there you didn’t expect? Well that’s what happened to Tommy Fleetwood. No, not that one…
It’s an easy mistake to make.
Well, it isn’t really but it saw Tommy Fleetwood’s Open Championship winnings accidentally paid into the wrong account.
Last year’s Race to Dubai winner scooped a well-earned $154,480 (around £120,000) after finishing tied 12th at Carnoustie.
But as he was preparing for the start of the PGA Championship tomorrow at Bellerive, a rather surprised Thomas Fleetwood – a club professional at the Streamsong Resort in Florida – opened his bank app on his phone to find the huge sum sitting in his account instead.
The error was revealed by his friend Greg Thorner, a teaching pro from the state, who tweeted about the amazing mistake.
No joke, a friend received Tommy Fleetwood's Open Championship winnings in his bank account last weekend!! They have the same name and he was a PGA pro but still, how does this happen? Didn't believe him until I saw it…good thing he is an honest guy! pic.twitter.com/bE534xfYDV
— #Break30 Golf Short Game School (@GregThornerGolf) August 8, 2018
“I honestly didn’t know anything about it,” the four-time European Tour-winning Fleetwood told the Press Association at Bellerive after learning of the mix-up.
“I wouldn’t even know if I’d been paid or not because I don’t really look.
“It looks pretty genuine and they (the European Tour) are looking into it and I’m sure they’ll feel pretty bad about it. It’s a funny story.
“It’s just something I don’t really look at but I’ll get on top of that!”
A European Tour spokesperson put the mistake down to a “clerical error” while the gaffe led to a host of tweeters claiming they were any number of famous golfers.
Nice to meet you, I'm Eldrick Woods. https://t.co/g3uDsxxsHj
— Zam (@ThaGreatZambino) August 8, 2018
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Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
