Tommy Fleetwood spent Wednesday evening consoling his son after England's defeat to Argentina in the World Cup, just one day before teeing off at The Open. The Three Lions were eliminated in stoppage time when Lautaro Martinez scored a header, cancelling out goals from Anthony Gordon and Enzo Fernandez.
Fleetwood Reflects on Emotional Evening
Fleetwood, who watched the match at home with his son, said: "Well, I was watching the football. I was trying to console my son. Yeah, that was a shame. The football was great to have as something else to think about and watch that." The loss means England will face France in the third-place play-off in Miami on Saturday, while Spain takes on Argentina in the final.
Strong Start at Royal Birkdale
The 35-year-old, born in Southport, is a hometown hero at Royal Birkdale. Thousands of supporters followed him during Thursday's first round, where he posted a solid one-under par. At the par-four fifth, Fleetwood boldly attacked the green while playing partners Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm laid up. His approach landed in a greenside bunker, but a deft escape set up a birdie he converted, drawing the loudest roar of the day.
Fleetwood is among the frontrunners to lift the Claret Jug and has received a notable endorsement from Rory McIlroy, despite never winning a major and securing his first PGA Tour win only last season. He hit a rough patch around the turn, dropping shots on the 10th and 12th to slip back to over-par, but bounced back with birdies on 15 and 17 to finish at one-under.
Dismissing Pressure
Speculation that the emotional weight might affect him was dismissed by Fleetwood: "No, I felt fine. Whenever there's a major, there's always anticipation anyway, and to say that this one wouldn't have extra meaning would be silly because obviously it does. But no, I was fine. Once I got going into the round - like I said, I would have loved to have felt a little bit more comfortable with my swing. I was battling something there. But I loved playing out there."
