Tommy Fleetwood may be conceding his chances of winning The Open Championship, but he is doing so with a smile on his face after a fan's hilarious heckle on the 18th green at Royal Birkdale.
Fan's Heckle Steals the Show
One of Tommy Fleetwood's fans let out a hilarious heckle on the 18th green at The Open Championship, much to his and the rest of the crowd's amusement. Southport's own Fleetwood has been the darling of the Royal Birkdale crowd throughout the tournament and was even in touch with the lead at various points.
However, his chances of the Claret Jug began to fade in the third round despite a strong start with three birdies. He surged into early contention at seven-under but a pair of bogeys in his final four holes nudged him back down the leaderboard.
Bogey on the 18th
The second of these bogeys came at the par-four 18th, where he started in the bunker and dug his way out before playing a lengthy approach to the green. He hooked a shot left, which fell just short of the grandstand.
After sinking the bogey putt, Fleetwood looked to be feeling the emotion of the situation - but one spectator dragged a smile out of him. The fan cried out: "You sexy b******, Tommy!" - which prompted fits of laughter from the crowd watching on.
Local Support
Those in attendance at Royal Birkdale had been in great form cheering on fan favourite Fleetwood. Chants of support for his beloved Everton also rang out around every hole, with the 35-year-old appreciating the backing from his local crowd.
Reflecting on his third round, Fleetwood appeared to admit that his title challenge may be over, thanks to runaway leader Sam Burns pushing forward at 10-under. He said: "The way it finishes today it's not really going to be in my hands, that's for sure."
Fleetwood's Optimism
"But I can still go out and shoot a great round tomorrow and see what happens. So we'll see. I think what am I, 5-under? Lead is, I reckon, 10 maybe, 9 or 10? So we'll see."
"There's great rounds out there around this golf course, which is good to know. I think it's incredible how the conditions change morning to afternoon. You sit there in the morning and you're watching these scores, and it's just not possible in the afternoon."
"But like I say, we'll see. Just looking forward to going out tomorrow. If I can get off to a good start, it'll be a really cool atmosphere again."
"I've always been very lucky with the connection I make with people, so it's been great. There's no pressure on me at all really and, of course, it's a really beautiful thing that the town is so hopeful for me and they want me to do well. I can't ask for any more from thousands and thousands of people out there."
