Among the jostling crowd of spectators huddled around the seventh green, craning their necks to get a glimpse of Bryson DeChambeau, an American gentleman glanced at his phone to see that Royal Birkdale’s local lad had made birdie a few holes up ahead.
‘Oh look…Tommy lad,’ he exclaimed. The term of endearment, it appears, is transatlantic. This one was not delivered with the same provincial lilt that so frequently and fervently rang out from the packed gallery following Tommy Fleetwood around every step of the course.
Whenever he walked on to the tee, whenever he walked off it. Whether he strolled the fairways, the rough or strode on to the green. Whether he stood behind his ball or over it. Whether he missed his putt or holed it. Whether he made birdie or bogey. It didn’t matter one jot. Come on, Tommy lad.
Fleetwood is theirs and, by goodness, they let him know. At times, as the sun drew in and ever more beer cups lay drained, it was as though they couldn’t have stopped themselves shouting it even if they tried. The marshals with their shushes and their ‘Quiet’ paddles certainly struggled. One bloke in the grandstand called him a ‘sexy b*****d’ at the top of his voice after Fleetwood holed a nine-foot putt to avoid a double bogey.
If this was febrile, just wait for what’s to come next. A dodgy final few holes, where he bogeyed two of the last four to finish on five-under, and the late charge of new leader Sam Burns, one of three players to shoot the course record this week, means Fleetwood still has five shots to claw back but, make no mistake, he’s in the mix for his first major on his home track. He’s spent his life dreaming of Sundays like this.
‘I’ve done it most days since I was seven years old and it still hasn’t stopped,’ said Fleetwood after signing for a card of 69. ‘That’s what life’s about, right? You daydream and you dream about the biggest things possible and then you try and make it a reality.’
Tommy Fleetwood remains in contention heading into the final day of the Open
Fleetwood had a sticky finish to the third round but is still dreaming of glory
The local favourite thanked the home crowd for their febrile support during his round
At one stage, that reality felt even closer. A faultless first 14 holes, with three birdies on the card, including a masterful approach on the 11th, stiffing it to three feet from 150 yards, set up the third of them and moved Fleetwood to seven-under and just one shot off then-leader Ryan Fox, the third man to shoot 62 this week.
Only, there’s always the sense with Fleetwood that we’ve been here before. We remember the missed putt on the last at Shinnecock Hills that saw him lose the US Open by one, despite a record-equalling 63. We remember another second-placed finish at Portrush a year later. We remember the four top-five finishes between 2022 and 2024. We remember the three missed cuts and no top 10s in the last 10 majors.
‘Today was as close as you’re going to get,’ he added. ‘I was within one of the lead at The Open playing the back nine. It’s been pretty close already, and then you’ve just got the ultimate at the end of it, which would be holding the Claret Jug.’
Fleetwood’s sticky finish did make the heart sink a little. Not again, please. But his triumph at the Tour Championship last year proved he can get over the line.
He looked up at the wooden scoreboards on 18 before he finished. There’s seven names still between him and Burns heading into the final loop. DeChambeau is one ahead, as is Ludvig Aberg. Lucas Herbert, the first to shoot the course record this week, is still there too with a shout. But so is Fleetwood.
‘Whatever happens tomorrow, that’s stuff that I’ll have for life,’ said Fleetwood. ‘How many people in the golfing world get to experience that with the crowd that much on your side. It’s been a very special week for me no matter what. If I can get it tomorrow, I could make it even more special.’
