Tommy Fleetwood heads into the final round of the British Open on Sunday with a long shot at glory — but with thousands of passionate hometown fans behind him, the 35-year-old is not giving up hope.
Fleetwood, who grew up just down the road from Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, carded a third-round 69 on Saturday, leaving him tied for ninth place and six strokes back of leader Sam Burns. Despite the gap on the leaderboard, the roars from the crowd following his every move made it feel like anything was possible.
“Like walking up to every green, it’s like the most amazing ovation that you can imagine,” said Fleetwood, a veteran of the Ryder Cup who finished second at the 2019 Open and was also runner-up at the U.S. Open the year before. “I sort of acknowledge them in my way because I still want to stay in my bubble, but it just happens that there’s like thousands of people in my bubble with me that are willing me on.”
“Like there’s a lot of people I know out there. But I just try and be myself and I try and focus as much as I can on my game and have everybody on the journey with me.”
Fleetwood, who has an Academy at nearby Formby Hall Golf Club and used to sneak onto Royal Birkdale as a child, showcased the links course skills that have made him a fan favorite. He drained a birdie at the fifth hole and followed it with a lengthy birdie putt at the seventh to enormous applause. At one point, after a brilliant approach shot set up a birdie at the 11th, he reached seven under par and was just one stroke off a share of the lead.
His momentum stalled with bogeys at the 15th and 18th holes, though even his final bogey putt drew a thunderous ovation from the galleries when it dropped in.
Playing partner Jon Rahm, who shot a level-par 70 to also sit six shots off the pace, praised the atmosphere surrounding Fleetwood as something special.
“The best part is they cheer him on, but they’re respectful to everybody else playing,” the Spanish golfer said. “That’s what makes it so fun for all of us.”
“No matter how late in the round, how bad things get, everybody is almost cheering for everybody in the group. I felt plenty of support even playing with Tommy.”
Rahm also outlined what it might take for Fleetwood to make a run on Sunday: “Tomorrow if he gets going early, makes two, three birdies the first four or five holes, you can ride that wave, and everybody on the course will know where Tommy is and what’s going on.”
Fleetwood stands as the top-ranked British player in the field and is chasing history — a win would make him the first English golfer to lift the Claret Jug since Nick Faldo claimed the title back in 1992.
