Fleetwood eyes greater consistency

GOLF: Ryder Cup hero’s Hong Kong target

Tommy Fleetwood is targeting greater consistency as he launches straight into another Race to Dubai title bid.

Fleetwood, the winner in 2017, had to settle for third place this time behind his Ryder Cup partner Francesco Molinari and Patrick Reed after finishing tied for 16th at the DP World Tour Championship last weekend.

The 27-year-old headed straight to Asia for this week’s Hong Kong Open and is eager to build on another successful campaign.

He said: “It’s a brilliant year. You have to remember how well you’ve done, and the two guys that finished above of me in the Race to Dubai were two Major champions.

“But the good thing to look forward to is, I feel like there’s a lot of improvement out there, so that’s still the exciting part.

“I think over the course of four days my game just needs to stay a little bit more consistent.

“I said it a couple times last week, I’ve always fallen one round short. Winning is what we all want to do, so to do that I need to put four rounds together.”

Fleetwood has finished in the top six on both his previous appearances at Hong Kong Golf Club and feels the course suits him.

He said: “It is quite a big patience game because you feel like there’s a lot of chances, but the course actually doesn’t give you that much in the end. Especially if the wind is swirling, it makes it very difficult.”

Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello has missed out by one shot in both of the last two years and is hoping to make it third time lucky.

It has been a profitable event for Spaniards, with Jose Maria Olazabal, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Jose Manuel Lara winning six titles between them.

Meanwhile Fleetwood’s Ryder Cup team-mates Ian Poulter and Tyrrell Hatton will hope to follow up their Paris success by lifting the World Cup of Golf in Melbourne this weekend.

The English pair are among the favourites going into the tournament at the Metropolitan Golf Club, and with recent great memories from linking up as part of the victorious European team in September.

Poulter said: “I have never won the World Cup and I would like to. This is a course which I really got to enjoy over the last couple of days.

“So if Tyrrell and I can go out there and play well and obviously pick up a trophy, then that would be pretty special. I like playing this type of golf.”

Poulter insisted the Ryder Cup would not give he and Hatton too much of a head start at an event that is somewhat lacking in star power.

“I don’t see it as an advantage just because we played a team event probably two months ago,” he said.

“I think when you look at all of the teams in depth, there are a lot of good teams here to beat.

“So I know obviously on our rankings we’re supposed to finish up there, but sometimes that’s difficult.”

Another member of the European Ryder Cup team, Thorbjorn Olesen, defends the title he won for Denmark two years ago alongside Soren Kjeldsen, while United States vice-captain Matt Kuchar, another former winner, represents his country along with Kyle Stanley.

The host country is represented by Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith while Shane Lowry and Paul Dunne compete for Ireland, Russell Knox and Martin Laird for Scotland and Bradley Dredge and Stuart Manley for Wales.