Tommy Fleetwood is enjoying another opportunity to fulfill his childhood dream by chasing a major victory for his hometown at The Open at Royal Birkdale.
Fleetwood is one of the favorites to become the first Briton to be named champion golfer of the year since Sir Nick Faldo. This is the course where he first saw The Open as a child and where he would secretly play with his father.
The world number nine failed to compete when The Open was last staged here in 2017, but his career has reached new heights since then. He has played on four of the past Ryder Cup teams, finished runner-up twice in majors, and earned a landmark PGA Tour win at the Tour Championship.
A mural of Fleetwood has been created in Southport ahead of The Open.
He has finished no lower than 14th in his last five World Cup starts and is set to become a fan favorite this week, with a huge mural painted on the wall of Southport & Birkdale Sports Club and Fleetwood-inspired crochet works scattered around the area.
“It’s an absolute dream to play in my hometown in front of the people who are here to support me. There are only positives,” Fleetwood said at his pre-tournament press conference.
Fleetwood is aiming to become the first British winner of The Open since Sir Nick Faldo in 1992.
“What you have to deal with is how much you want it and your own expectations. At the same time, everyone who plays in The Open is no different from anyone else in that they dream of winning The Open and want to win it.
“In that sense I’m no different from anyone else. I consider myself one of the lucky ones to have home support and be able to use it as a really positive fuel.
“When I first played here in 2017, the first round was definitely not good. Friday’s round was one of the best rounds I’ve played to make the cut and Saturday was a good experience getting out very early.
“If you look at Royal Liverpool (2023) you can see when we had a great first round and competed all week, it was an experience and a memory I will have forever because there was such an amazing atmosphere and amazing support.
“I’ve got everything I can pull off and everything I need to aim for. I’m getting back to where I was as an eight-year-old kid. The idea of playing the Open at Birkdale was incredibly special. If you’re not going to enjoy it, you’re letting yourself down in that sense.”
‘There’s still a long way to go’ – Can Fleetwood find a breakthrough?
Fleetwood has seven major top-five finishes in his career, including a runner-up finish at The Open in 2019, but has failed to crack the top 10 once since sharing third place at The Masters in April 2024.
The 35-year-old is regularly mentioned as a major contender but is yet to secure an elusive victory. Fleetwood insisted he would not let the Big Four tournament define him if he never won it during his career.
“There’s no doubt about it, winning a major is the highest honor in our sport,” Fleetwood explained. “I don’t want to look to the future and worry or think that I have to win my major to feel fulfilled. We spend our lives giving our all, and that may or may not happen for me.
“No matter what happens in my career, I’ll be able to look back and say I gave it my all and had an amazing time doing it. I would definitely much prefer to have one or two or three majors on my resume by the end of my career.
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See the best photos from The Open archives featuring Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and more.
“Whether it happens or not, sometimes it’s out of your control, but chasing it and having fun is the ultimate thing. Dreams do come true. We always watch for them, but you never know if your dreams will come true unless you chase them.
“My work may or may not come true. I’ve done a lot so far, but there’s still a long way to go. I’ll keep trying and working hard until time runs out.
“If you ask me that question again sometime, I hope I can tell you how I really feel.”
When will The Open be shown live on Sky Sports?
Sky Sports is once again the exclusive home of The Open in the UK and Ireland, with the final men’s major of the year getting underway on Sky Sports Golf at 6.30am on Thursday.
The first two rounds will feature at least 15 hours of action, with bonus feeds available on Sky Sports+ or Sky Sports AppExtended coverage begins at 9 a.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday.
