Tommy Fleetwood’s impressive play over the past year has him primed to become the first English winner of the Open since Nick Faldo won at Muirfield in 1992.
As memorable years go, 2017 is a tough act to follow for Tommy Fleetwood. In a year which saw the Englishman win twice, capture the Race to Dubai title, get married and have his first child, many would have foreseen Fleetwood returning to earth with a thud.
A day after his first event of the year however, nothing could be further from the truth. Fleetwood merely seemed to pick up where he left off last season, storming home in 30 strokes on Sunday to win the Abu Dhabi Championship and consign Ross Fisher to his third runner-up finish in as many months.
With the win, Fleetwood is on the threshold of the world’s top-10 for the first time. And after seeing the golf the 27-year-old is capable of in the past year, he looks to be in it for the long haul.
Fleetwood has shown he is a man for the big occasion. Playing in the marquee group with Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson in the opening two rounds as the reigning European no. 1, all eyes were on him.
Despite the pressure and often finding himself 20 yards behind the two bombers off the tee, Fleetwood stuck to his guns. He put on a ball-striking clinic on Thursday, hitting all 18 greens en route to a six-under 66. A Friday 68 was enough to eclipse McIlroy and Johnson by one and two shots respectively through 36 holes.
With all of Fleetwood’s recent success, it is easy to forget that he too has had his fair share of struggles. In 2015 during round 2 of the Open Championship, he inexcplicably lost his swing and his game began to spiral out of control.
As a child, my mom always used to say to me “when you’re stuck, go back.” In other words, go back the way you have come. Go back is exactly what Fleetwood did. Back to Alan Thompson, the coach who played a pivotal role in a stellar amateur career that included wins at the Scottish and English Amateurs.
Fleetwood’s troubles were by no means a quick fix though and progress was pain-staking. Iron shots sprayed 50 yards left of the fairway were commonplace as he missed five of his next six cuts.
As the saying goes though, it must get worse before it gets better. To plummet to 188th in the world in September 2016 only to rise to 12th by January 2018 is to show resilience. It is thus apt that McIlroy, on the occasion of Fleetwood’s 27th birthday described him as “tenacious”.
Despite the fact that Fleetwood finished runner-up to Dustin Johnson by a shot at the WGC Mexico Championship and added a fourth-place finish at the US Open last year, he is still flying under the radar on the other side of the pond. That could all change this year if he adds a major title to his lengthening resume.
His game has obviously come on in leaps and bounds in the last 18 months from a results point of view. This is owing to small improvements in his game over the past two years. For example, Fleetwood is back to driving the ball incredibly well, hitting 70.4% of his fairways or nearly 10/14 each round last year as opposed to 61.7% in 2015.
This has freed him up to attack flags with approach shots that are second-to-none on Tour in terms of finding the putting surface, 76.8% of the time last season. Add these two elements to the fact that he is taking 0.024 fewer putts per Green in Regulation and you have a handy scoring average of 69.72, 1.27 better than 2015 or 5.08 strokes across 72 holes.
But it is the intangibles which I feel will stand him in good stead this year. He just seems unflappable. Whether it’s going toe-to-toe with two of the best players in the world or playing the Open Championship with the weight of expectation that comes with playing on your “home” course, Fleetwood is nonplussed.
Having an extremely tight-knit team also counts in Tommy’s favour. As mentioned, he is back working with a coach who knows his swing inside-out, being a second pair of eyes since Fleetwood was 13.
His caddy Ian Finnis has also been a big part of Fleetwood’s life, being both a close family friend and Fleetwood’s caddy as an amateur. Finnis clearly had immense belief in Fleetwood’s ability to right the ship in 2016, quitting his job at Formby Hall to caddy for his mate fulltime. What more can you hope for in a bagman?
The final member of Fleetwood’s team is arguably the most important one, his wife Clare who is also his manager. With such a terrific support team around him, it is no wonder that he is playing the golf of his life.
Life is good for Tommy Fleetwood. A major win in 2018 would make it all the better. But where does his best shot lie?
Having only made three cuts in his ten major starts, it is tough to pinpoint which of the four majors holds his best chance. Perhaps it will be at Shinnecock Hills in the US Open, always a typically demanding ball-striking week.
As wonderful as it would be for Fleetwood to be the first Englishman since Justin Rose to win the US Open, there would be something poetic and heart-warming about hoisting the Claret Jug on the 18th at Carnoustie at the tournament which nearly derailed his career.
Photo: Golf Digest
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