FLEETWOOD CAME CLOSE

Southport native Tommy Fleetwood received an amazing ovation walking down the 18th hole at Royal Birkdale on Sunday as the hometown supporters were out in force to maybe see a home win.

Alas Fleetwood’s run ended in a stretch of bogeys from the 9th to the 11th hole………”Yeah, of course it was on. I was 8-under and stood in the middle of the 9th fairway, so I was in a great position really, and I was playing really well. I was playing well. Just 9, I hit it in the place that you can’t hit it. It was gusty on that fairway. Over the back there, it was just a terrible mistake.

People are going to make bogeys. Of course they are; it’s tough. Every afternoon it’s been the toughest conditions.

Then 11, hitting it in the fairway bunker, you’ve got — the spirit of this golf course is you’ve got to take stuff on, but that just costs you shots. So it was that little stretch in the middle.

I felt really good. Yeah, we had a great chance today. I just couldn’t quite do it.”

He finished in style however with a birdie on seventeen and a crowd pleasing birdie on the eighteen………..

“Yeah, 18 was pretty emotional. Yeah, it was just very, very special. I’ve just said a couple times that like — you know, this disappointment that I didn’t win today or I couldn’t get it done when I was in a really good position, of course there’s only one person that gets to win it, and like my dream of winning The Open will carry on and I’ll continue to chase it.

But stuff like that, walking down 18 and the atmosphere out there, that was beyond stuff that I’ve dreamt of. That was just stuff that I never imagined. The crowds were amazing, and they made it the most special week ever for me, and I can’t thank them enough.”

Fleetwood finished tied fourth with Scottie Scheffler on 7-under-par 273.

Photo: Fleetwood waves to crowd walking up the 18th. (Photo: G. Ruddy).