Tommy Fleetwood has backed the boisterous Birkdale crowds to behave as The Open returns to Southport, with record attendances of 300,000 expected across the week. The English star is confident the local support will be respectful, despite the R&A issuing a code of conduct threatening to eject rowdy punters after unsavoury incidents at Hoylake three years ago.
Fleetwood Defends Northwest Crowds
Fleetwood, roared on by massive support at Hoylake in 2023, acknowledged that some fans crossed the line when American winner Brian Harman was booed and subjected to inappropriate comments. However, he believes the atmosphere in the northwest has been among the best he has ever experienced.
“It’s hard to want 200,000 people to watch and create an amazing atmosphere and want them all to do exactly what you would expect or want them to do,” Fleetwood said. “Yeah, like you want the fans to behave in the best way possible and to give everybody the equal opportunity, but it is very difficult wanting all that to go together.”
Betting and Fan Behaviour
In the wake of Wyndham Clark being hounded at last month’s US Open, compatriot Jordan Spieth suggested much of the poor behaviour stems from fans betting on golf. Fleetwood agreed it was a fair point but noted it has rarely been his personal experience.
“I think you’re aware probably of people that are betting and you might get somebody telling you a putt breaks right to left instead of left to right, but you should be able to figure that out on your own,” Fleetwood said. “It’s a really tricky one.”
Balancing Atmosphere and Conduct
Fleetwood emphasised the difficulty of balancing a vibrant atmosphere with proper conduct. “I think the crowds are a huge part of golf and I think it’s really difficult to ask everyone behave in a manner that you would want them to behave in while wanting the atmosphere to be as big as possible and as good as possible,” he said.
He added: “I’ve always been very lucky with my fan interaction and support. Again, it’s easy when you haven’t had the same experiences of those to just give your opinion on it and have it different. Betting isn’t going to go away, and I think you don’t want the crowds to be any smaller, or it’s hard to change people in terms of how they want to be when you go to a golf tournament. I just think that’s a really difficult one.”
Fleetwood remains optimistic that the Birkdale crowds will be great, saying: “I’m sure everybody will be great this week. I think The Opens that I’ve experienced in the northwest, the crowds have been amongst the best I’ve ever seen and the atmospheres have been great. I’m sure they’ll all be great.”
