Tommy Fleetwood interview: Ryder Cup challenge, Open dreams, Everton excitement and playing with Pep

Tommy Fleetwood is not done dreaming.

His first PGA Tour win in Atlanta in August, at the 164th time of asking, has made him even more eager for success.

The 34-year-old wants to follow up his Tour Championship win by lifting the Ryder Cup for a third time in his fourth appearance for Team Europe as they travel to New York’s Bethpage Black to try and retain the trophy Fleetwood helped clinch in Rome two years ago.

His back nine in the singles against Rickie Fowler on the final day in 2023 is the stuff of legend. The “drive of his life”, as it was described, on the 16th at Marco Simone in Italy all but ensured European victory. His other Ryder Cup victory came at Le Golf National in Paris in 2018, with Fleetwood’s individual record reading seven wins, two ties and three losses.

The world No 6 has not won a Ryder Cup away from home and was part of the defeat against the United States at Whistling Straits in 2021 but he is one of the most popular European players in the U.S..

But at Bethpage, New York, it is expected to be anything but welcoming for Luke Donald’s team. Rory McIlroy revealed that Europe has been using virtual reality headsets with abuse specifically tailored to each player to prepare for the frosty environment that awaits.

Fleetwood’s support in the U.S. is starting to rival McIlroy’s. There is something about his close calls and persona that has endeared him to fans. Before lifting this year’s FedEx Cup, he had made 30 top-five finishes in his career, and was a runner-up in six PGA Tour events.

He is relishing the challenge ahead at Bethpage. “You have to step into it with everything because this is what we’ve dreamt of,” says Fleetwood. “Ryder Cup season is such an amazing time and I would never take for granted being part of it.

“This is going to be my fourth Ryder Cup — I love being a part of it and being with my team-mates and our families. It’s all been set and you’re coming together. And whether it’s this week, next week, the week after, you know it’s on the TV everywhere. It’s such a special time of that two-year period when the Ryder Cup is really close, is getting closer and then you eventually get there.”

Wherever Fleetwood goes, there are always shouts of, “Go on, Tommy lad!” It is a colloquialism from his northern England seaside town of Southport that has travelled the world. And it’s not just used by fans.

“There are players who have played with me at Hoylake (Royal Liverpool, around 27 miles from where Fleetwood grew up) or in other tournaments, and they will still greet me with ‘Tommy lad’. It definitely sticks.

“For the people that play with me, it takes them by surprise. Within the first few minutes, it gets engraved in their brain and they start saying it to me for the rest of the day.”

Those words will be shouted again in Bethpage by the travelling European contingent. Fleetwood’s support in the U.S. has always been strong. At the Tour Championship at East Lake, he was being cheered on to win ahead of Patrick Cantlay, who is in the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

“It’s beautiful,” Fleetwood says of the support. “I’m very lucky. I’ve always connected well with people. But the crowds in Atlanta were really great. When you’re playing, you are feeding off them, but you’re very self-focused. Then, when you think back and you’re thinking about the moments, they were all on my side.

“It means a lot to me, but it’s more important that I do the right things and I am a good person. But then, for it to be reciprocated and to get that everywhere I go, I’m always very grateful. It always feels like an advantage.”

While Fleetwood is grateful for his Stateside support, nothing will come close to a home crowd. And there is another dream — one Fleetwood knows would eclipse everything.

“Is there a bigger individual dream you can have than winning an Open in your hometown?” Fleetwood asks, referring to next year’s Open at Royal Birkdale, a 10-minute drive from where he grew up on the Southport coast. “That dream is always there.”

The links course, which overlooks the Irish Sea, is one Fleetwood has played before. Unofficially, when he and his father Pete used to sneak on for a round, and officially, when he finished tied for 27th at The Open in 2017.

Fleetwood could feel his dream forming in front of him as a seven-year-old when American Mark O’Meara won there in 1998.

“From that moment, I’ve always looked towards Opens at Birkdale,” he says.

Fleetwood came close to qualifying at Birkdale in 2008 when he finished as runner-up to Reinier Saxton for the British Amateur title.

“I remember my dad saying to me he couldn’t sleep that night (before the final round) because that’s what he was thinking about. I never made it and then in 2017 when I did, it was just such an unbelievable feeling. You have so many emotions that it’s come full circle back to where you’ve grown up. Hopefully, my game, when it comes to that, is in a place where I can compete and have a chance of winning it.”

If Fleetwood needs perspective, he only has to look to the man next to him on his bag, caddie Ian ‘Finno’ Finnis. Since the last Ryder Cup, Finnis, who has been with Fleetwood since 2016, had three months away from the game after open-heart surgery.

Finnis, whose wife is former England goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis, is Fleetwood’s long-time friend, not just his caddie. It is not just golf they share a love of. They are massive fans of Premier League club Everton, too.

“Everton won that morning of the Tour Championship, 2-0 against Brighton and then we won, so it was a rare day!” says Fleetwood, who is a player ambassador for the Golf Foundation.

“Being an Everton fan prepares you for a lot of things in life and a lot of disappointments from my 34 years on the planet, but it’s looking up now. We’ve got a good looking side, (manager) David Moyes is back and he’s doing a good job, new owners and a new ground. There’s a lot of positivity in the air now, being an Evertonian, for a change.”

Was he one of the many people who called England international Jack Grealish to convince him to join Everton on loan this season? “I had no part in that,” he smiles. “But he does look good in an Everton shirt.”

Fleetwood is yet to visit the Hill-Dickinson Stadium, Everton’s new ground that sits on the banks of the River Mersey after moving from Goodison Park, their home since 1892.

He is hoping to attend a game over Christmas. Two years ago, he visited Goodison Park in December and was on the pitch with his son Frankie, showing off the Ryder Cup before Manchester City’s visit.

Pep Guardiola, City’s manager, was happy to see Fleetwood with the trophy. It was in Guardiola’s second season at City when a mutual friend introduced him to Fleetwood. The pair went for a round together and a friendship between two elite sporting figures was born. Guardiola, known for his intense and successful managerial style, was with Fleetwood during his practice round at the BMW Championship at Wentworth and gave him one-to-one coaching advice as they made their way around the course.

“Whenever we’re back in Manchester, we always try to meet up. He’s always very supportive and texts me. He’s an unbelievably smart guy. We have amazing conversations and I’m always supportive of him. Clare, my wife and our two other kids (his stepsons Oscar and Murray) are lifelong City fans, so it is great for them.

“You’re always gonna learn from people like Pep. He’s so successful. I want to discuss Man City and football and all he wants to talk about is golf, so we have to meet in the middle. I have learned a lot more from him than he has from me.”

Being close friends with celebrities is not new for Fleetwood. After his win last month, he was publicly congratulated by NBA legend LeBron James and WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark. Tiger Woods, who Fleetwood holds a 3-0 record over at Ryder Cups, said, “No one deserves it more.” He even got a message from Spider-Man actor Tom Holland. They played together at the pro-am at Wentworth a year ago and have stayed in touch.

“I’ve been very fortunate to get on with people, to have a good time, and sometimes you make friends for life out of it,” he says. “Tom is great. We’ve become pretty close. He is amazing with Frankie — he is Spider-Man to him, so I suppose seeing those kinds of things and watching your little boy grow up and meet these people is really cool.”

During his maiden PGA Tour win, Fleetwood had an extra reason to end his barren streak — stepson Murray, 17, was in hospital recovering from spinal surgery. Winning for him was something Fleetwood tried to do in Memphis at the FedEx St Jude Championship in August, where he led for the majority of the final round before falling behind Justin Rose, who beat J.J. Spaun in a play-off.

“There was a period in Memphis where I did want to come home,” Fleetwood says. “But my family felt like me playing at least gave them something to focus on. That was a really strong motivating thing.

“Memphis was the one where I was the most gutted because I thought it would be cool if I could win while he (Murray) was in a hospital bed. That was a really strong string of emotions because I love Justin and was really happy for him but I was pretty gutted.

“As soon as I got back from Atlanta, it was just great to be with them and actually be a physical helping hand.”

In New York, Fleetwood will be trying to get the win for not just his family but for all of Europe. The U.S. won’t be behind him for this one. But the shouts of “Tommy lad” will be. Like Fleetwood’s dreams, they will never stop.

(Top image: Tommy Fleetwood celebrates Team Europe’s victory at Marco Simone; Octavio Passos/Getty Images)

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