Jon Rahm has lauded the crowds at The Open Championship after playing with Tommy Fleetwood during the third round at Royal Birkdale, but admitted that he feared a different story had Spain been set to face England in the World Cup final.
So much attention has been on Fleetwood in the months leading into the final major of the year. The Englishman grew up just minutes away from the venue in Southport.
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Sam Burns holds a two-shot lead heading into the final round…
Unsurprisingly, Fleetwood has received incredible ovations all week. There is certainly a desire from most in the golfing world to see him win a major at some stage in his career.
He has got plenty of work to do on Sunday if he wants to lift the Claret Jug. But he has given himself an opportunity, having posted a third round of 69 on Saturday.
Jon Rahm amazed by the support for Tommy Fleetwood at The Open Championship
Fleetwood now finds himself five shots off the lead. So he will need to fly out of the blocks in the final round.
But Jon Rahm certainly expects the crowd to do all they can to inspire the hometown hero.
Speaking after playing alongside Fleetwood on Saturday, the Spaniard explained how impressed he was by the way the spectators behaved.
He did admit that England going out of the World Cup on Wednesday ended up doing him a favour.
“The best way I can explain it, it was so intense that, without meaning any disrespect to England, I’m glad England didn’t win that game because I would have been having a heck of a three days with the fans if they played Spain in the final,” he said.
“You can hear it constantly no matter where he goes. It’s constant unconditional support. The best part is they cheer him on, but they’re respectful to everybody else playing. That’s what makes it so fun for all of us.
“No matter how late in the round, how bad things get, everybody is almost cheering for everybody in the group. I felt plenty of support even playing with Tommy, and it’s been a lot of fun.
“I can’t imagine what it’s like to play what’s most likely his favourite event of the year at home because I get a small pinch of what it feels like to play when I play in the Spanish Open, and if it was a major in Spain, I can only imagine what it feels like.”
How Tommy Fleetwood is handling the support at Royal Birkdale
Sam Burns’ impressive round has made the American the heavy favourite to go on and win his first major title, particularly as he has put himself in the mix on a couple of occasions already over the last couple of years.
But you would imagine that someone is going to emerge from the pack and put the pressure on.
Rory McIlroy has suggested that he will be supporting Fleetwood once his hopes are dashed. And it seems that Rahm, who is one shot adrift of the Tour Championship winner, would take a similar view.
“Well, he’s doing it for himself. It’s just the added energy and emotion that comes from the crowd. You can use it to play better, or it can at times actually be a bit of a challenge. There’s just so much energy going on, and Tommy is a rather calm person,” he said.
“He’s done a fantastic job at managing it. Yeah, it’s just a lot more to deal with the whole week, not just today. It’s something he needs to be aware of constantly.
“For the most part, when things are going good, it’s very easy to ride that wave. Tomorrow if he gets going early, makes two, three birdies the first four or five holes, you can ride that wave, and everybody on the course will know where Tommy is and what’s going on.”
Fleetwood is going to require one of the all-time great comebacks at The Open to produce a fairytale ending.
That challenge will seem a lot more possible if he can make one or two early birdies.
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