Tommy’s magical Frankie Friday
WHEN Tommy Fleetwood sat down at the start of the year and set himself some targets, it quickly became apparent that one would be written in capital letters and underlined.
‘I’ve pictured for a long time what it must be like standing on the first tee on Friday morning at a Ryder Cup,’ he said. ‘And this Friday just happens to be my son Frankie’s first birthday. So, all year, right from when I was writing down my goals, I’ve had it in my head just how special it was going to be waking up that day.
‘I’m not going to see him straight away. We’re just too busy, and he’ll be at another hotel nearby with my mother-in-law. But the thought that it’s a day I’ll always remember is one I keep coming back to a lot. I’ll definitely see him at some point. He might not know it’s his birthday, but I do.’
Fleetwood’s first Ryder Cup is another reference point on how far he has come. Two years ago, while Europe were losing at Hazeltine, his name was far from the reckoning as he began his fightback from a bruising summer that saw him fall to 180th in the world. Now, at 27, he’s a staple in the top 20 and, alongside the Spaniard Jon Rahm, the rookie who captain Thomas Bjorn will be placing the most faith in this weekend.
In recent weeks, the thoughtful Liverpudlian has been picking the brains of the experienced members of the team.
Social media will have seen him recently as the sheepish one sitting quietly in the back seat of a car while Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson rang Bjorn and played a funny prank on him. But Fleetwood was soaking it all in.
‘As funny as it was, that whole car journey was such a valuable time for me,’ he said. ‘What the footage didn’t show was all the time we spent talking about the Ryder Cup and it was great to listen to their experiences.’
On Frankie Friday, he’s ready for an unforgettable experience of his own.