Olympics: Tommy Fleetwood has nice likelihood to shake demons, win gold

Tommy Fleetwood has an unimaginable alternative on his fingers.

He’ll start the ultimate spherical of the Olympics one shot off the tempo at 13-under, enjoying alongside Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele, who share the 54-hole lead. Fleetwood, Rahm, and Schauffele will go off within the closing group collectively, which means the Englishman could have the gold medal—and the lead—properly inside his sights all day.

“I’m very, very excited to play. You take a look at the leaderboard, the leaderboard is superb,” Fleetwood mentioned.

“It’s like a leaderboard that you’d count on on the Olympics and possibly what the game deserves. I’m blissful to be part of it and have been doing very properly up to now. So we’ll see. I’m simply trying ahead to [Sunday].”

Ought to Fleetwood go on to win the gold, it will mark the largest win of his profession. He has come agonizingly shut in majors, recording seven top-5 finishes since 2018. He additionally has 5 runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour, most notably finally 12 months’s RBC Canadian Open, the place he witnessed Nick Taylor’s thrilling 72-foot make first-hand.

So a gold medal would undoubtedly shake off these demons and convey Fleetwood—and his hometown of Southport, England—super pleasure, particularly contemplating the tragedy that came about within the Merseyside city on Jul. 29.

However Fleetwood has obtained overwhelming assist in France this week, main different gamers to ask him, “Is that this your property nation?”

“They’ve been superb with me, and it’s positively a special crowd to what we’re used to. It’s positively an Olympic crowd, and the ambiance has been superb,” Fleetwood mentioned.

Photograph by Emmanuel Dunand/AFP through Getty Pictures

“I at all times take into account myself very fortunate with the assist, I assume, connections with those who I make. However these have been nice, and completely, to be enjoying the Olympics, to be in competition, and to have the assist that you’ve got, I imply, they’re issues that you simply dream of; when you don’t take pleasure in this, then what’s the purpose?”

The crowds serenaded Fleetwood on seemingly each tee field and each inexperienced, leaving the Englishman feeling fairly comfy at Le Golf Nationwide, the course the place he received 4 factors through the 2018 Ryder Cup. And but, Fleetwood has felt something however comfy this week. He has mentioned his swing is a large number, which the world noticed at The Open at Royal Troon, the place he badly missed the lower.

“Once more, my swing isn’t flowing. It’s not the place I would love it to be, however I’ve managed it so properly all week,” Fleetwood mentioned.

“I did the identical once more as we speak, actually. I didn’t actually hit it in any horrible spots. I made one bogey, which is a good effort round right here. I do know there are nice scores, and clearly, when individuals play properly, they are going to shoot good scores.”

Fleetwood managed to shoot a 2-under 69, however crucial second of his spherical got here on the very finish, when he made an excellent par-save on the 18th—probably the most difficult gap on the course.

The Englishman missed the golf green proper, laid up in need of the water within the fairway, after which obtained up and down from 69 yards to avoid wasting his par and maintain his sub-70 spherical intact.

“A stunning feeling,” Fleetwood mentioned of his closing par.

“Clearly, making bogey on the final isn’t good. It’s a tricky gap. Nevertheless it’s a tremendous feeling while you scrape a par like that. It retains me form of simply behind the leaders. As shut as I can tomorrow, the higher, actually. Yeah, it’s a stunning feeling.”

However a gold medal would really feel even higher, and it’s properly inside his grasp.

Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By means of. You should definitely try @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You possibly can observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as properly.