Tommy Fleetwood is up and running at his hometown course for the latest edition of The Open Championship.
Fleetwood posted a one-under 69 on day one of the tournament, which is being hosted by Royal Birkdale in Southport.
The Englishman has now shared his assessment of his opening round of the event, where he has unsurprisingly been receiving plenty of support from the fans.
Tommy Fleetwood reveals caddie discussion after his first tee shot at The Open
Fleetwood was asked in his first round press conference how he felt on day one, and how it differed from when The Open Championship was played at Royal Birkdale in 2017.
Making a reference to his caddie Ian Finnis, he replied: “Yeah, good question. I think when you get to playing, I think you’re obviously working to stay very present.
“I actually did a pretty good job of that. I was enjoying, like, the atmosphere and enjoying playing.
“It means a lot to me, and like the first tee is a very special experience at an Open in Southport for me. I was pretty nervous, to be honest, on the first tee.
“I said to Fino, I’m normally… after I’d hit my tee shot, like first tees don’t bother me that much.
“I’m always alright on the first tee, but I was nervous today just with the excitement and stuff. But they’ve been great.
“Whether I play well or not, that’s the thing, and that’s what I’m very aware of. I don’t want to miss out on the experience.
“It’s been amazing so far, and the crowds are amazing. It’s really cool to play in front of everyone.”
Tommy Fleetwood grateful for The Open fans at Royal Birkdale
It has been a relatively underwhelming 2026 season so far from Fleetwood given his usual high standards.
Without a PGA Tour win, he’s claimed just three top five finishes, while he missed the cut at the PGA Championship.
But playing on home soil may just make all the difference this week, with Fleetwood already feeling the impact of the huge fan support.
When asked how much he notices the crowds when he’s playing, and how much they can help him, he said: “Well, they definitely helped me today.
“It’s like, I don’t know how many thousands are here today, but it’s like thousands of positive attitudes there and supporting you. It does make a difference.
“In all honesty, they definitely helped me a lot today throughout a day where I was struggling with my game. They were absolutely amazing.
“They’re an absolute pleasure to play in front of, unbelievably supportive of me and actually everybody else. But yeah, they helped me a lot today.”
Which Brit will finish highest at The Open Championship?
Will a home favourite triumph at Royal Birkdale?
While Fleetwood is the player many want to win, the fans at Royal Birkdale would be delighted with any British champion.
And that is very possible given that the field is filled with home talent, although it is Englishman Dan Brown who is the surprise leading candidate at this early stage.
Read more: Tommy Fleetwood admits he ‘played awful’ in front of home fans at The Open
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