Fleetwood puts Open ambitions on hold

Jul 1 2008 Harold Brough

ENGLAND’S Tommy Fleetwood is out of his challenge for the Open at Royal Birkdale this month.

The 17-year-old, now among the country’s amateur elite following his runners-up place in the British Amateur Championship at Turnberry, has had to withdraw as his planned entry in the Open coincides with his place in the England team for the European Boys Team Championships in Slovenia.

Fleetwood, a member at Formby Hall, is a key member of the England team as it bids to regain the title they last held four years ago. Fleetwood made his England debut for the boys in last year’s European Boys Team Championship and he scored six out of six to help England win the Boys Home Internationals. He also represented GB&I against Europe in the Jacques Leglise Trophy.

His withdrawal from the Open is a big disappointment for local golf fans, who would have given him a huge reception on his home territory and particularly if he had reached the final stage, playing alongside the best in the world at Royal Birkdale.

As one of the top four finishers at Turnberry he would have been exempt from regional qualifying and would have been given a pass straight through to the final qualifying stage which is being held at Southport and Ainsdale, West Lancashire and Hillside.

In addition to Formby Hall he is also a club member at S&A and would not have played there. But as a local boy he is also familiar with the West Lancashire and Hillside links.

If the dates of the Open and the European Boys had not clashed Fleetwood would have been in with a chance of making his debut in the greatest event in world golf.

He said: "I would have like to have played in my home town. But it is not a big loss. I have plenty of years."

He has the immediate consolation of reflecting on the greatest success of his career and on a season which underlines his steady rise to the summit of the amateur game. In recent weeks he has finished 15th in a top-class line-up in the St Andrews Links, won the Lancashire Amateur and reach the final of the British Amateur.

He is believed to be the youngest winner of the Lancashire Championship. If he had won the British he would have been its youngest winner and he would have been exempt from Open qualifying, passing to the main event at Royal Birkdale and he would also have received an invitation to the Masters in America next year.

Finally he was beaten 3&2 by Reinier Saxon from the Netherlands. On a day when the weather deteriorated to rain and winds, Saxon fired eight birdies in 34 holes of golf to beat his young opponent.

Fleetwood, asked for his reaction to finishing runner-up, said: "I am delighted. Obviously I would have like to have won it but if you had told me I would get to the last 32 I would have snatched your hand off!"

He arrived at Turnberry with a troubled shoulder. But that eased with gel treatment and the effect of "a stinking cold" also faded. Even by his standards he thought he played "brilliant golf" through the final.

The first 18 holes of the final finished level after the Southport golfer won the 17th and 18th. Fleetwood then won the first hole of the afternoon session, three holes won in succession.

But then the dream faded and he says of the final 18 holes: "I never got in a position to win. I did struggle to keep up with him in the afternoon."

It was at the 11th hole where the game swung decisively. Plugged in a bunker at the front of the 11th green, Saxton blasted out to 20ft and holed the putt for a par that took him to two-up as Fleetwood's shorter effort ran past. A birdie at the next made it three, and on the 13th he got away with a flyer second that went 40 yards past the pin when Fleetwood also bogeyed the hole. In a tribute to Saxton and gracious in defeat Fleetwood added: "My opponent just played much better than me – tee to green he was much better than I was. He deserved to win more than me. I can’t be disappointed. I did better than 286 others golfers but I would really liked to have won."

His future dates include the South of England Championship and the English Amateur. First, later this month, he will return to the Lancashire team for the ‘Big Six’ meeting of the northern counties, the northern qualifying round to decide the county to play for the English championship.

He will be part of Lancashire’s bid to end the long wait to win the Big Six again. But if they should win at Arcot Hall, Northumberland then they have reason to be optimistic. The last times they won the Big Six, in 1995, they progressed to win also the English championship.

The Fleetwood family, Tommy, father Peter and mother Sue who drives Tommy to the tournaments, had an enjoyable and memorable day at Turnberry.

The day was also special for the family dog Masie, who also goes on Tommy’s travels.

Masie was included in the Fleetwood’s visit to the Turnberry clubhouse. In fact Masie has a place in golf’s history – the first dog to be admitted to the famous clubhouse!