Tommy Fleetwood displays on a season that has seen him enhance his world rating, win the Dubai Invitational, and convey residence silver for Workforce GB on the Paris Olympics
As issues presently stand, you’ve moved as much as twelfth on the earth rating, however how would you assess your 12 months as an entire, making an allowance for we nonetheless have a couple of occasions left on the DP World Tour to finish?
I really feel like I’ve floor out some respectable outcomes this 12 months with out having had my finest stuff. I’ve by no means felt fully comfy with my swing, though there have been durations when it’s sort of clicked collectively.
It might probably get irritating at occasions once you’re swinging it effectively, however you then’re placing is a bit off, and also you don’t really feel like your outcomes are consultant of how effectively you’re taking part in, however golf is like that typically.
I used to be pleased with the way in which that I hung in there to make the Tour Championship as that might simply have gotten away from me, so to complete inside the highest 20 within the FedEx Cup was respectable.
Except for successful in Dubai at the beginning of the 12 months, and ending third on the Masters, and, in fact, second within the Olympics, I’ve had some good outcomes this 12 months, however nothing nice that was going to have an enormous impression on my profession. It’s been constant with out many fireworks, should you like.
Apart from ending fourth, it’s usually stated that successful silver is the toughest Olympic medal to have a good time, because it means to you got here near successful, however didn’t fairly get the job executed. Is that the way it felt for you?
There’s an enormous a part of me that was dissatisfied, in fact, however on the similar time, rising up I by no means dreamt that I might be an Olympic medallist, or be in with an opportunity of successful one, so to have an Olympic medal of any color hanging round my neck is one thing I’ll all the time cherish.
Even on the final gap in Paris, usually I’d have kind of on condition that chip a go. I missed it, and I do know I’ve misplaced the match, however I used to be nonetheless very nervous standing over that six-foot putt to win the silver medal. It was a really totally different feeling to standing over a putt to complete second in an everyday match.
General, I’m unbelievably pleased with the way in which the week went and the way in which I performed. I loved it a lot. I take that away from it. It was an unimaginable crowd and environment to play in entrance of, and it was such an excellent match to be part of.
I haven’t been within the combine that a lot not too long ago, and I believe being again at Paris Nationwide, the place we loved success on the Ryder Cup in 2018, and taking part in effectively and feeling how I felt once more, made it a really particular week.
It’s clearly distinctive environment representing your nation. You performed within the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 with out crowds, so how did it really feel to have the followers again waving the Union Jack and cheering you on?
I believe the crowds have been superb, and it was a really totally different environment to what we get to expertise week-in, week-out by way of the variety of followers which might be on the market supporting their nation. It was only a fully totally different vibe and one which I actually loved.
I believe the leaderboard was unbelievable, and I believe it was an excellent spectacle for golf and it was enjoyable being part of that. In the event you’re not going to take pleasure in these occasions, you then’re not going to get a lot happiness from the sport of golf.
I loved competing in opposition to the perfect gamers on the earth for one thing that’s so wanted and so cherished within the sporting world. This isn’t going to occur once more now for an additional 4 years – by which period I will probably be 37 – and I used to be keenly conscious that I may not get one other probability to do that.
There was a variety of speak afterwards about whether or not 72-hole particular person stroke play is the suitable format for the Olympics. The place do you stand on that matter?
Because it [the Olympics] looks like one of many greatest prizes within the sport, I really feel prefer it deserves to performed in the identical format as all the most important championships. I really feel just like the 72-hole format is the way in which to find out the perfect golfer of the week. Having stated that, I might love there to be one other occasion alongside that, whether or not or not it’s a crew occasion or a blended occasion with women and men. I don’t see a lot of different occasions switching up their codecs for the Olympics, so I don’t assume that golf ought to really feel any strain to give you one thing totally different. Individuals appeared to love it.
Your finest end in a significant continues to be your second behind Shane Lowry in The Open in 2019. Does that appear like a lifetime in the past now, and on the time did you see it as a failure in your half?
Sure, it does appear to be a lifetime in the past, however no, I didn’t see it as failure – however I used to be definitely very dissatisfied on the time. I believe utilizing the phrase ‘failure’ can typically sound a bit harsh. Ending runner-up at The Open equalled my best-ever end in a significant. It additionally is determined by the way you end second, as effectively. It wasn’t like I used to be three pictures clear and threw it away.
Elite sport is all about small margins, and also you win some and also you lose some. I assume it’s the way you bounce again from these disappointments that counts.
Given the profession journey you’ve been on – developing by way of the newbie ranks, onto the Problem Tour, taking part in the European Tour, and now the PGA Tour – has that made you extra adaptable to taking part in in a wide range of course arrange and situations than maybe different gamers?
There are clearly important variations to how the programs play from newbie golf within the UK, to these on the skilled excursions in Europe and the States, and all around the world. As you recognize, I performed a variety of hyperlinks programs as an newbie, after which as quickly as you flip skilled that’s not one thing that you just get to expertise a lot outdoors of the Open Championship and the Scottish and Irish Open, though they aren’t all the time held on conventional hyperlinks.
I believe I’ve all the time had a great sense of what I really feel like I have to do to adapt and what I have to be taught, and I’ve all the time loved travelling, seeing new locations and experiencing new programs. I’ve all the time put in loads of laborious work, and the rewards are there.
A few of your finest performances have come on hyperlinks programs. Is that once you’re at your most comfy – battling the situations and having to be extra artistic?
Sure, hyperlinks golf is one thing I really feel very comfy with. I grew up in a hyperlinks city [Southport], and though I wasn’t a member of one of many hyperlinks programs there, I’ve performed on them lots. Once I’m at residence I’ll go and play Hillside with my dad, issues like that, so hyperlinks golf is extra a part of whom I’m as a golfer that it’s for lots of different skilled golfers. It takes a unique sort of preparation, however as quickly as I’m a hyperlinks course I really feel fairly comfy with what is required.
You’ve gained all around the world, however you haven’t gained on the PGA Tour but. Is that one thing you’re eager to tick off the bucket listing?
Yeah, thanks for reminding me! I believe any European participant can be mendacity in the event that they stated successful in America wasn’t the subsequent step for them of their profession, and I’m no totally different.
I haven’t executed it. Within the grand scheme of issues, successful in America is one thing that I have to do. I’ve had possibilities and typically anyone’s performed higher than me, and there’s been occasions after I’ve hit the flawed shot on the flawed time. It’s what it’s, however I believe at the moment second I’m fairly pleased with the place my sport is trending and I just like the work that I’m doing, so hopefully issues will fall into place and I’ll recover from that hurdle sooner or later.
May you conceive there being a European Ryder Cup crew with out Jon Rahm in it in America subsequent 12 months?
As we’ve seen through the years there will be Ryder Cup groups on either side which might be with out a specific participant, so that may effectively be the case subsequent 12 months or some other 12 months. That’s the character of the occasion and the qualifying standards.
The Ryder Cup has all the time been a lot larger than any particular person participant, and whereas there are all the time gamers who can convey sure issues to groups, there have all the time been discussions round who’s and who isn’t within the crew – that was very a lot the case in Rome final 12 months – however that’s just about forgotten as soon as the matches start.
You don’t wish to lose anyone that you recognize which you can have there, however on the similar time, the Ryder Cup is way larger than all of us.
I believe should you’re going to play for Workforce Europe, try to be a member and part of the Tour in some respect. I’m not saying it needs to be essentially tremendous strict, however following the rules as they’re in the mean time is the suitable factor to do.
Given your expertise of taking part in within the Ryder Cup below a wide range of captains, how necessary is that the captain has a robust reference to the group of gamers at his disposal? And if that’s the case, do you assume the likes of Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia will probably be out of contact with the brand new era of gamers coming by way of on the European circuit, making it more durable for them be to be thought-about for the captaincy sooner or later?
I believe it will be important for the captain to have an excellent reference to the gamers, for certain. However who is aware of what a crew of gamers will seem like sooner or later and who that captain will be or will probably be? There are clearly a couple of guys, together with the names you may have talked about, who’ve been an enormous a part of Workforce Europe, and you’ll’t take away what they’ve executed for the crew over an extended time frame and the success that they’ve had.
I really feel prefer it was positively the suitable name for Luke [Donald] to hold on the captaincy after what he achieved in Rome. Gamers’ opinions don’t essentially matter that a lot. The captain can have earnt that proper to be the captain, however I believe you need to have a robust present relationship with whoever is taking part in as a result of it would battle to work in any other case.
Are you eager for the deadlock between the LIV Golf and the PGA Tour to be over so the perfect gamers can get again to competing in opposition to one another extra usually?
I believe just about all people that has a ardour to get probably the most out of their profession needs to check themselves in opposition to the perfect gamers on the earth. We did it this 12 months within the majors, in order that’s one aspect. After which you need to take heed to the followers which might be so necessary to the sport and see what they need.
Getting the superstars of the sport to play collectively extra usually might be in the perfect curiosity of the general sport. What that appears like, what number of occasions do you that, whether or not is 4 sufficient or ought to or not it’s eight or 20, who is aware of? However I believe from a gamers’ perspective, testing your self in opposition to the perfect gamers is all the time an excellent factor, and also you get a variety of satisfaction out of that should you handle to play effectively.
