Tommy Fleetwood arrives at the 154th Open Championship with a mixture of excitement, nostalgia and ambition. Excited to contest the most prestigious major in the world virtually at home, nostalgic about returning to the venue that fuelled his childhood dreams and ambitious because, at 35, he is still chasing that first major that remains absent from a record full of achievements. All of that will come together this week at Royal Birkdale, where the Englishman arrives as one of the leading favourites.
“It’s a dream to compete in an Open here,” Fleetwood said at his media appearance. Born in Southport, just a few kilometres from the course, the Englishman recalled what it meant to grow up in a town where Birkdale was always an almost sacred place for any golf fan. “It’s very rare to have the chance to play a tournament, and even more so an Open, in the town where you grew up and in front of fans who are here to support you. I’m very excited,” he explained.
Far from feeling the weight of that responsibility, Fleetwood said having his people close gives him a lift. “I’m fortunate to have home support and to use it as a very positive energy,” he said. The Englishman also recalled his experiences at the Open in 2017 at Birkdale and 2023 at Royal Liverpool, convinced those memories will help him this week. “If I go back to that eight-year-old boy, the idea of playing an Open at Birkdale was already something incredibly special. If you’re not going to enjoy it, then you’re letting yourself down.”
That image of the boy who dreamed of this moment appeared several times during the press conference. Fleetwood even drew a parallel with his son Frankie, who is now eight, practically the same age he was when he attended the 1998 Open at Birkdale and began to imagine a career as a professional. “That’s where my dreams of becoming a golfer began,” he recalled.
But if there is one issue that accompanies Fleetwood whenever a major comes around, it is the absence of a major in his record. Asked whether that gap will affect how his career is evaluated when he retires, the Englishman offered one of the day’s most interesting reflections.
“Winning majors is the greatest recognition in our sport,” he admitted. However, he rejected turning that idea into an obsession. “I don’t want to look to the future thinking that I need to win a major to feel fulfilled. We’ve spent our lives chasing our dreams and it may or may not happen,” he said.
Fleetwood made it clear he will keep fighting for that goal while he continues to compete, although he also emphasised the value of the journey: “I’ll look back knowing I gave everything and that I enjoyed doing it immensely. Of course I’d prefer to have one, two or three majors on my record by the end of my career, but sometimes that doesn’t depend solely on you.” And he finished with a line that perfectly sums up his philosophy: “Dreams come true, but you’ll never know if yours will unless you chase it.”
On the sporting side, Fleetwood also spoke of a Royal Birkdale he expects to be firm, fast and demanding. He believes the redesign of the 5th hole improves the course and thinks the new par-3 15th could become one of the big tests of the week. “It’s a course that forces you to think constantly. You can hit driver on almost every hole if you want, but you always have to decide how much risk you’re willing to take,” he explained.
With those conditions in mind, the Englishman confirmed he is studying small adjustments in his bag after introducing a 3-iron last week, although he will not decide on the final setup until after the practice rounds. All with a single aim: to try to turn the dream that began when he was a boy from Southport into, finally, the first major of his career.
