The joy of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is the chance to savour pilgrimages to some of golf’s great meccas. From the modest amateur spectator to Major Champions, the chance to visit the triumvirate of St Andrews, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie perennially excites.
While some travel from far and wide to revel in the history, others come to make it. In the space of three days in 2017, Tommy Fleetwood and Ross Fisher etched their names into golfing folklore.
Fleetwood was immune to the harsher elements of that autumnal day at Carnoustie 12 months ago. Buoyed by the birth of his son and his position atop the Race to Dubai Rankings, the Englishman was thriving upon arrival at one of the game’s most unforgiving tracks. Hogan’s Alley and the Barry Burn have contributed to the course’s notorious nature, but Fleetwood was in no mood to be cowed by precedent.
A front nine of 33 was negotiated with minimum fuss, before a back nine of 30 set the course alight. Five birdies in a row from the 11th to the 15th garnered excitement, with a closing birdie sealing a superb 63. It could have been a 62 had his approach into the 15th dropped instead of hitting the pin.
Fleetwood was his usual disarming self post-round, saying, “I played well and putted well. It just unravels really, sometimes it does that.
“Most of the times those are your best rounds, when you don't quite realise what you're doing.”
Two course records in one week ✍🏻@TommyFleetwood1 and @RossFisher enjoyed themselves last year.#DunhillLinks pic.twitter.com/TnIhPogOyL
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) October 2, 2018
Two days later, Fisher made his own history. Chasing down eventual champion Tyrrell Hatton on the Old Course, The 2010 Ryder Cup player had two four-birdie stretches to threaten the European Tour’s first score of 59; there were only two holes on Fisher’s front nine he didn’t birdie.
The five-time European Tour winner signed for a 61, breaking the Old Course record and becoming part of its near 500-year history.
However, it was a bittersweet afternoon for Fisher. For the second year running, Fisher finished runner-up to his friend, Tyrrell Hatton, who was triumphant for the second week in a row after victory at the Italian Open.
“You almost want to keep going and I didn't want it to end,” Fisher said.
“At the home of golf I wanted to try and give that putt on the last a try for 59 and just came up a bit shy.”
There are no two ways about it. It was the week of the history boys.
