The Open: Tommy Fleetwood eyes hometown victory at Royal Birkdale and tests his hopes of major glory | Golf News

Tommy Fleetwood is relishing another chance to fulfill his childhood dreams by chasing a big hometown win at The Open at Royal Birkdale.

Fleetwood is among the favorites to become the first Englishman to be crowned Golf Champion of the Year since Sir Nick Faldo, at the course where he first watched The Open as a child and used to sneak off with his father to play.

The World No 9 failed to compete when The Open ended here in 2017 but has seen his career take off since then, playing in the last four Ryder Cups, finishing second in majors and seeking PGA Tour success at the Tour Championship.

He has finished no worse than 14 in his last five internationals and will be a fan favorite this week, with a large mural on the wall of Southport & Birkdale Sports Club and a Fleetwood-inspired crochet project dotting the local area.

“It’s an absolute dream to play here in my hometown in front of all the people who are there to support me – there’s only good things,” Fleetwood said in a pre-tournament press conference.

“What you have to deal with is how much you want and what you expect. At the same time, I’m no different from anyone else in terms of everyone who plays in The Open dreams of winning the Open and wants to win it.

“There’s nothing different to anyone else in that sense. I just think I’m the lucky one who has the support at home and I use that as really good fuel.

“When I first played here in 2017, I obviously had a bad first round. My Friday round was one of the best rounds I’ve ever played to make the cut and Saturday was a great early morning outing.

“You can turn around and look at Royal Liverpool [2023]when I shot a good first round and I was in contention for the rest of that week. Those experiences and memories I will have forever because it was an amazing environment and amazing support.

“I’ve got all those things to draw on and I’ve got all those things to lay down. Just going back to when I was an eight-year-old kid, the thought of playing in the Open at Birkdale was unbelievably special. If you can’t enjoy it, then you’ve let yourself down in that sense.”

‘There’s still a long way to go’ – Can Fleetwood achieve a major breakthrough?

Fleetwood has seven top-five finishes during his career, including a runner-up finish at The Open in 2019, although he has failed to score a single top-10 finish since sharing a third at The Masters in April 2024.

The 35-year-old is often regarded as the best player but is yet to win, with Fleetwood insisting he will not let four major championships define him if he fails to win one during his time.

“There’s no doubt about it, winning majors is a huge honor in our sport,” explained Fleetwood. “I don’t think I want to look at the future and worry or think that I have to win the big one to feel satisfied. We spend our lives doing everything and it might happen to me, it might not.

“No matter what happens in my career, I’ll be able to look back and say I gave it my all and had an amazing time doing it. I’d really like to have a chapter or two or three on my resume when my career is over.

“Whether that happens or not is sometimes beyond your control, but making sure you have a good time chasing it is a huge thing. Dreams do come true, we watch them all the time, but you’ll never know if yours will make it unless you chase them.

“Mine may come true, it may not happen. I have done a lot in my career so far but there is still a lot to do. Until my time ends, I will keep trying and keep working hard.

“I hope you can ask me that question again and I will be able to tell you how I really feel.”

When is The Open live on Sky Sports?

Sky Sports is once again the exclusive home of The Open in the UK and Ireland, with a wall-to-wall run from the final men’s final of the year starting at 6.30am on Thursday on Sky Sports Golf.

There will be at least 15 hours of coverage for both of the first two rounds, with bonus feeds available on Sky Sports+ or Sky Sports Appwith extended testimony beginning at 9am on Saturday and 8am on Sunday.