Just as Korean golf fans lamented Kim Si-woo's failure to win, England agonized over the failed title bid of Tommy Fleetwood.
The 154th Open Championship, the final men's golf major of the season, concluded on the 20th (Korea time) at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, and it was a "hometown Open" for Fleetwood. Southport is where, as a child, he practiced shots and putts with his father every day as if it were a meal.
Fleetwood is an ardent fan of Everton, the English Premier League football club based in the area, as well as a fan of the England national team. "I hoped it would be a 'Super Sunday,' with me winning The Open at the same time England played in the World Cup final," he said.
England reached the semifinals but lost to Lionel Messi's Argentina. Fleetwood had his chance. He birdied three of the first eight holes of the fourth round to join the title race. On the first hole, he sank a birdie putt from a remarkable 23 meters, raising hopes of a dramatic comeback.
The last Englishman to lift the Claret Jug was Nick Faldo in 1992. That time the course was Muirfield in Scotland. This time it was England itself, and moreover the protagonist was Fleetwood, the pride of the Southport neighborhood.
Fleetwood, however, committed a hat trick of bogeys on three consecutive holes—the 9th through 11th (all par 4s)—as he moved from the front nine to the back nine.
The 9th hole was particularly painful. He split the fairway with his tee shot, but his second shot was too aggressive. "I sent the ball to the place you should never send it, which is over the back of the green. There was a gust of wind, and I made a really big mistake." Fleetwood readily said, "The course was so difficult, and the afternoon conditions in particular were tricky. I had a really good chance but in the end couldn't get it done."
Though the win slipped away, Fleetwood received applause and cheers no less than those for the champion. As he walked onto the 18th green (par 4), the spectators packing the enormous stands on both sides rose to their feet in unison, sending warm and weighty applause toward Fleetwood for a very long time. Blended with the setting sun, the golden sky, and the towering spire-like TV broadcast crane, it created a fantastical and lyrical scene. With back-to-back birdies on the 17th (par 5) and 18th holes, Fleetwood finished at 7-under, tied for fourth, three strokes behind champion Ryan Fox of New Zealand.
Just as the England football team sings the rock band Oasis's "Wonderwall" with the crowd like a ritual after World Cup matches, Fleetwood connected with each and every spectator through the standing ovation he had not expected.
"The atmosphere I felt walking down the 18th hole surpassed even what I had dreamed of. In fact, it was an experience I had never even imagined. The fans were truly amazing and made this tournament the most special week of my life."
Fleetwood knows all too well that his quest to win The Open is not over. He long carried the unwelcome label of "the top money earner among players without a win" on the U.S. PGA Tour, before finally shedding that yoke with his victory at last August's Tour Championship. It was a big event held as the final playoff round.
He was known as a player desperately unlucky with wins—such as in 2023, when he lost the Canadian Open on the fourth playoff hole after facing a 22-meter eagle putt—but that is no longer the case.
Fleetwood has just one PGA Tour win, yet he receives fan support like a player with 10. His relentless study of his swing, his iron play that shows more than mere precision, combined with the disappointment of results that have not matched, stir a special feeling of encouragement.
Fleetwood, who recorded his ninth career major top-10 finish with this tournament, said, "The dream of winning The Open will continue. I will keep challenging to make the dream come true." At next year's Open, which returns to the Old Course at St Andrews, the home of golf, he will likely be counted among the contenders once again, and we will cheer his journey toward the trophy once more.
