Latest news with #TommyFleetwood
Khaleej Times
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
Reflections on The Open: Scheffler affirms his greatness with a champion's composure
With world-class conditions, a pristine setup, and picture-perfect weather, Royal Portrush delivered the dream scenario every tournament organiser hopes for as the game's biggest stars battled it out atop the leaderboard with a record-breaking 278,000 fans flooding through the gates. That was the story of the 153rd Open Championship - a showcase of elite golf at its finest. It is hard to recall a stronger leaderboard in recent Majors. The Champion Golfer of the Year, and World Number One, Scottie Scheffler, showed his current class with a four-shot win and collected the third leg of a career Grand Slam, and he's still only 29 years old. It was not always filled with too much drama, but there was certainly an appreciation of his current dominance in the world of golf. How long can he keep this run of form going? The golf course punished the poor shot and generally rewarded the good shot. As always with the game of golf, especially links golf, margins are small, but there were not too many hard luck stories, just a lot of frustrations. However, perhaps over 72 holes, the good luck and bad luck will hopefully balance themselves out. There was little or no advantage or disadvantage with the draw for the first two days, with the weather far kinder than it might have been, according to some forecasts. Glimpses of inspiration came from the KT tips: Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry, but in all honesty, from day one there was only one real champion — Scheffler with rounds of 68, 64, 67 and 68 for a 72-hole total of 17-under par, 267. To see 'shorter' hitters make the cut must be a positive for modern golf. Congratulations to Justin Leonard, the 1997 champion, who at 53 years old made the 36-hole cut, which fell at +1. The game is not just about hitting it far, especially when the potential winners are only the longer hitters. Game Beyond the Money The purse was $17 million, the same as in 2024. In an era where money seemingly means everything in sport, it was a strong message from The R&A that they are keen to remind everyone of their responsibility to the global game, investing in development around the world. An interesting fact is that nine amateurs were in the field, but none made the cut. The last time no amateurs made the cut was in 2019 when it was last hosted at Royal Portrush. With the amateur game seemingly so strong these days, that was somewhat of a surprise. Slow play reared its ugly head once again, especially in round one. Can a six-hour round ever be justified? There are always excuses - drivable par 4s and reachable par 5s - but it is something that still needs to be addressed by the game's authorities. Is this really the last golf Major of the year? It has come around too soon once again. We still have The Ryder Cup and so much more golfing drama to come later in the year, but let's put in our diaries next year's 154th Open Championship, to be held at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, from 16th to 19th July — we cannot wait!
Daily Mirror
21-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Tommy Fleetwood didn't receive £120,000 Open prize money after it was sent to wrong person
Tommy Fleetwood saw the funny side after an embarrassing clerical error by the European Tour saw someone else receive his prize money from The Open Championship Tommy Fleetwood didn't receive £120,000 worth of prize money following his T12 finish at The Open Championship back in 2018. The Englishman, 34, is still in search of his first major after securing a T16 at Royal Portrush last week. He was never really in contention, and he went on to card a seven-under par, with Scottie Scheffler instead dominating from the opening round and going on to win his first Claret Jug by a four-shot margin. Fleetwood has come close at the Open in the past, finishing as the runner-up in 2019. That means the tournament has contributed a hefty sum of money to his impressive career total earnings of £23.1million. Yet, the popular Southport-born golfer was once left scratching his head following the Open at Carnoustie after his winnings were accidentally transferred to an American man with the name Thomas Fleetwood. Thomas Fleetwood, a club professional based at Streamstrong Resort in Florida, was born in 1959 and contested the European Senior Tour's qualifying school four times from 2013. Fleetwood, who is also a caddie, told Reuters he had been trying to get in touch with the Englishman. He said: "It was an honest mistake. I tried to get on their senior tour, so they have my [bank] information." The PGA Tour star himself was left more confused than annoyed by the error, as he said: "It looks pretty genuine. They [the European Tour] are looking into it and I'm sure they'll feel pretty bad about it. "It's a funny story. It's just something I don't really look at but I'll get on top of that." Greg Thorner, who posted the screenshot of his friend Thomas' bank account, said: "He played a few European events so the European Tour obviously had some information on him and it must have got mixed up. "I didn't believe him at first but then I watched him log into his account and I was like 'Holy crap'. He was not positive it was the same amount that Tommy won at the Open but we checked and it was. "He immediately contacted the bank and told them you've put money into my account that's not mine and unfortunately the money has already been taken out." The European Tour, now the DP World Tour, said at the time: "This was a clerical error which we are resolving and we apologise for the inconvenience caused to both parties." Fleetwood is set to receive £137,535 for his latest efforts at the Open. He will hope to receive his money without any surprises along the way this time around.
Daily Mail
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Legendary European golfer Sergio Garcia SNAPS club in anger during final round of The Open - with little-known rule set to add to his frustration
Golf legend Sergio Garcia ended up snapping his club in anger during the final round of The Open. Garcia was frustrated after a disappointing tee shot on the second hole. A little-known rule is also set to add to the 45-year-old's problems. The rule states that the club can't be replaced, which means that Garcia has essentially been left without a driver for the rest of the day. Garcia, who joined LIV Golf in 2022, has won 36 international tournaments as a professional. His successes include the 2008 Players Championship and the 2017 Masters Tournament. Sergio Garcia snaps his driver in frustration after a poor tee shot on the second hole 😤 — Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) July 20, 2025 The rule states that the club can't be replaced, which means that Garcia has essentially been left without a driver Garcia is set to take part in the LIV Golf UK Tournament which gets underway next Friday. Earlier this week Tommy Fleetwood was left seething at a bizarre new rule change. Fleetwood's ball landed in a bunker that hadn't been raked. 'For f***s sake, man,' he was overheard saying on the World Feed broadcast.
CNN
18-07-2025
- Sport
- CNN
‘It's a hill I'll die on': Brian Harman losing no sleep over hunting drama as he stalks into Open contention
Brian Harman is, fittingly, firmly in the hunt for The Open Championship. A blistering bogey-free six-under 65 during Friday's second round at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland accelerated the American's chase for a second Claret Jug, as the 38-year-old seeks to add to his dominant triumph two years ago. The Savannah, Georgia-born golfer had coasted to his first major crown on Merseyside, in the North West of England, the nonchalance of his six stroke victory at Hoylake serving in stark contrast to the hostile atmosphere he encountered during the tournament. While he laughed off 'unspeakable' heckles from behind the ropes at the time, many of which stemmed from the yearn to see local hero Tommy Fleetwood win, Harman admitted Friday he was surprised at the reaction to his love of hunting. Dubbed 'The Butcher of Hoylake' by one British tabloid, Harman's off-course passion became a running theme of press conferences. 'I was curious why everyone was asking so many questions about it,' he told reporters when he returned as the clubhouse leader at eight-under par overall on Friday. 'I didn't realize that everyone was so upset about it. It's a hill I'll die on. I'll sleep like a baby tonight.' Aware of the nickname, Harman went on to explain that he exclusively uses a bow and arrow rather than rifles when hunting, pursues 'rare' animals, and that the primary purpose is for food, as opposed to sport. 'I knew how to skin a deer when I was eight years old … I enjoy it, start to finish,' Harman told reporters at Hoylake in 2023. 'Back home at the hunting place that I own, we plant food for the animals. We have prescribed fire for the animals. Everything we do is for the wildlife, and then when we harvest it, we respect it and take care of it and feed our families with it.' Regardless, Harman seems to have held no grudges over the reception he received two years ago, a forgiveness undoubtedly linked to his fondness for the unique challenge of Open golf. The world No. 26 once again looked totally at ease amid the blustering conditions and testing links holes that have become synonymous with the sport's oldest championship, rolling in three birdies on either side of the turn to build on his opening round of 69. 'I love the golf over here. It suits me,' Harman explained. 'Distance, of course, matters over here, but it doesn't matter as much as maybe some other tournaments, and it doesn't matter because the ground is so firm that the ball rolls. 'There's just a million different ways to play over here, whereas at some other majors you get kind of stuck into, 'Well, I'm going to swing as hard as I can off this tee ball and try to hit this 7-iron as high as I possibly can and hope it stops.'' With an enormous clamor for Northern Irish stalwart Rory McIlroy to conquer Portrush, playing host for only the third time in the tournament's 153-year history, it's an eerily similar situation to 2023, when Harman fired a second round 65 en route to spoiling Fleetwood's homecoming. And once again, Harman holds no bitterness about having to play the villain. 'The golf overall fan knowledge over here is unbelievable,' said Harman. 'They all play. They love the game. And being an Open champion over here is really cool. They know who you are. They have respect for you. 'I love coming over here. As far as golf, it's as pure as it gets.'
CNN
18-07-2025
- Sport
- CNN
‘It's a hill I'll die on': Brian Harman losing no sleep over hunting drama as he stalks into Open contention
Brian Harman is, fittingly, firmly in the hunt for The Open Championship. A blistering bogey-free six-under 65 during Friday's second round at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland accelerated the American's chase for a second Claret Jug, as the 38-year-old seeks to add to his dominant triumph two years ago. The Savannah, Georgia-born golfer had coasted to his first major crown on Merseyside, in the North West of England, the nonchalance of his six stroke victory at Hoylake serving in stark contrast to the hostile atmosphere he encountered during the tournament. While he laughed off 'unspeakable' heckles from behind the ropes at the time, many of which stemmed from the yearn to see local hero Tommy Fleetwood win, Harman admitted Friday he was surprised at the reaction to his love of hunting. Dubbed 'The Butcher of Hoylake' by one British tabloid, Harman's off-course passion became a running theme of press conferences. 'I was curious why everyone was asking so many questions about it,' he told reporters when he returned as the clubhouse leader at eight-under par overall on Friday. 'I didn't realize that everyone was so upset about it. It's a hill I'll die on. I'll sleep like a baby tonight.' Aware of the nickname, Harman went on to explain that he exclusively uses a bow and arrow rather than rifles when hunting, pursues 'rare' animals, and that the primary purpose is for food, as opposed to sport. 'I knew how to skin a deer when I was eight years old … I enjoy it, start to finish,' Harman told reporters at Hoylake in 2023. 'Back home at the hunting place that I own, we plant food for the animals. We have prescribed fire for the animals. Everything we do is for the wildlife, and then when we harvest it, we respect it and take care of it and feed our families with it.' Regardless, Harman seems to have held no grudges over the reception he received two years ago, a forgiveness undoubtedly linked to his fondness for the unique challenge of Open golf. The world No. 26 once again looked totally at ease amid the blustering conditions and testing links holes that have become synonymous with the sport's oldest championship, rolling in three birdies on either side of the turn to build on his opening round of 69. 'I love the golf over here. It suits me,' Harman explained. 'Distance, of course, matters over here, but it doesn't matter as much as maybe some other tournaments, and it doesn't matter because the ground is so firm that the ball rolls. 'There's just a million different ways to play over here, whereas at some other majors you get kind of stuck into, 'Well, I'm going to swing as hard as I can off this tee ball and try to hit this 7-iron as high as I possibly can and hope it stops.'' With an enormous clamor for Northern Irish stalwart Rory McIlroy to conquer Portrush, playing host for only the third time in the tournament's 153-year history, it's an eerily similar situation to 2023, when Harman fired a second round 65 en route to spoiling Fleetwood's homecoming. And once again, Harman holds no bitterness about having to play the villain. 'The golf overall fan knowledge over here is unbelievable,' said Harman. 'They all play. They love the game. And being an Open champion over here is really cool. They know who you are. They have respect for you. 'I love coming over here. As far as golf, it's as pure as it gets.'
