Tommy Fleetwood has revealed that both Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm were so impressed by the crowds at Royal Birkdale as he praised the spectators who attended The Open Championship this week.
Fleetwood was one of the stars of the show throughout the final major of the year. Of course, the Englishman grew up just a few minutes away from the Southport course.
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Unfortunately, it was not to be for Fleetwood who ended up finishing tied for fourth.
What Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth said about The Open Championship crowds
He threatened to deliver a fairytale ending. However, he simply did not get the breaks he needed on a day when so many struggled to go under par.
Nevertheless, Fleetwood will be able to reflect on a fantastic homecoming, particularly given the pressure he would have felt under to deliver.
The crowds certainly did everything they could to will Fleetwood across the line. In fact, the spectators were outstanding all week at The Open Championship.
Speaking after his final round, Fleetwood shared what his playing partners had been saying to him throughout the week about the fans who attended.
“Yeah, it was because it’s a unique atmosphere to play in. For the guys that were playing with me, like I had Jon for three rounds, but Jordan was like really complimentary of everybody here, and so was Jon. Then I saw Jon’s comments. I think that was great,” he said.
“Like I said, the town have done themselves so proud. I’m so proud of where I’m from. I truly believe like The Opens in the northwest are on a certain level.
“Yeah, Jordan was lovely about it. He said how much he enjoyed it. That was nice to hear.”
How Tommy Fleetwood will reflect on his Open Championship performance at Royal Birkdale
The feelings are likely to be bittersweet for Fleetwood. It would be so interesting to know how he would respond if he was offered the chance to finish inside the top five without winning before the week began.
Clearly, Fleetwood will have dreamt of winning the Claret Jug, and Royal Birkdale would have been the perfect stage.
However, he definitely did not disgrace himself with his performance. Rory McIlroy missed the cut at Royal Portrush in 2019 having felt the weight of expectation.
Perhaps he may not get another chance to win The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, but it should not be any surprise if Fleetwood does manage to finally get that first major victory at some stage.
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