Refuses to get hot under the collar
needs any extra motivation at Portrush this weekend, he should consider that he can still upset the Americans, just as he did at Le Golf National, by denying them a first clean sweep of majors since 1982.
“There’s no doubt, the US have the best players in the world at the moment,” he said. “They have an amazing strength in depth. The Rywalker, der Cup is an experience for which you just can’t be prepared. The only comparison to how you feel, I guess, is contending in a major on a Sunday. Whether it’s playing in the Ryder Cup or being in the mix at a major, I’ll take either one any day.”
All week, Fleetwood has been touted as a favourite to break his major drought. His coach, Graham believes that Portrush suits his skills, and even Molinari has spoken of his time coming soon.
In scenes to which Rory Mcilroy could relate, the pressures were too oppressive for him at his home course of Royal Birkdale in 2017, but this year he is performing like a man unburdened. He ascribes this change, in large part, to the serenity of his home life. Fleetwood and his wife, Clare, also his manager, recently had a son, Frankie – born before his love-in with “Frankie” Molinari, it must be stressed – and his family are helping to settle his mood inside the ropes. “They don’t come into my mind much when I’m playing,” he joked. “That’s the beauty, though, of having a great environment off the course. I have the luxury of knowing, whether I shoot 85 or 65, that neither Clare nor Frankie is going to care. I’ll care, but eventually I’ll get over it quicker because of those guys.”
He might be only 28, but Fleetwood already has a strikingly worldly perspective. He recognises that there are just a few moments in a golfer’s life when a major is a realistic prospect, and he has a clear idea of where his mind needs to be to grasp the moment.
“When these chances come around, you want to take them and you want to be known,” he explained. “It’s your opportunity to put your name into the history of the game. Equally, it’s important to embrace this and enjoy it whatever the outcome. You don’t know what’s going to happen next week or the week after, and you have to realise what a lucky situation you’re in.” One can only hope that his play for these next days mirrors the poise of his words. The only element he needs to change, perhaps, is his shirt.