Fleetwood gets fleeced

TOMMY FLEETWOOD’S winnings from the Open last month were mistakenly paid to an American club pro of the same name.

Last season’s European No1 finished tied 12th at Carnoustie to earn £119,873. But instead of crediting the world No11, the European Tour paid $154,480 to Tommy Fleetwood, who lives in Florida.

He was shocked to see the money appear in his account – but reported the mistake. His friend Greg Thorner, who tweeted out a picture of the statement, said: “He shouted, ‘Holy smoke, I’ve just had $154,000 paid into my account’.

“He got on to his bank and they didn’t know what to say. That’s when I realised that it must be the other Tommy Fleetwoood and I quickly worked out that it was his Open winnings. Tommy is a good guy and would always pay it back. If he hadn’t been so honest this might have fallen through the cracks and not been picked up.”

NEIL McLEMAN