The relationship between a player and his caddie is often close, but Tommy Fleetwood is perhaps closer than most to his current bagman, who also doubles up as his Dad.
At last week’s Kazakhstan Open, Pete Fleetwood comfortably won the award for the ‘Proudest Dad in the World’ after helping his son to secure his debut Challenge Tour victory, and with it the even greater prize of a place on The European Tour next term.
Pete won’t be on the bag as his young son competes against the cream of world golf next year, since caddies are not permitted to pull trolleys on The European Tour and the strain placed on his knees from years of hard labour on various building sites prevents him from carrying a heavy golf bag for five hours a day.
Instead, the father of two will be watching from the sidelines next season, when he fully expects his youngest son to continue his seemingly inexorable rise to golfing stardom by claiming his maiden European Tour title in his debut season.
If that sounds like complacency or arrogance, it is anything but – it is simply an unswerving belief in Tommy’s ability to harness his God-given talent.
Pete said: “I’ll try to get as many tournaments as I can next year, and I’ve got no doubt he’ll win one of them. Even from an early age, I knew he was going to be a little bit special. He’s just such a hard worker, which is something he was born with. He’ll be one of the first to get to the range, and one of the last to leave. That’s just the way he is.
“I never really had to drum it into him, because that’s just the way he’s always been. He’s got a huge will to win and improve himself, and that’s not something you can teach. You’ve either got it, or you haven’t. And there’s no arrogance with him, so I won’t have to try to keep his feet on the ground.
“There’s still an awful lot Tom needs to learn and some areas where he needs to improve his game, but that will come as he ages and matures – both as a person and a golfer. He’s got every shot in the locker, and his putting – which was probably the weakest part of his game – has improved an awful lot. So I’ve got no worries about him making the step up.”
Fleetwood’s putting and temperament stood up remarkably well under intense pressure at Nurtau Golf Club, where he showed nerves of steel to hole a birdie putt from 25 feet on the last green and put the title out of reach of his fellow rookie and playing partner Knut Borsheim of Norway.
The sense of relief was palpable as he thrust his arms to the sky, and the smile on his proud Dad’s face was as wide as the River Mersey in his native Liverpool.
Pete said: “He’d been in similar positions before, but never in a tournament of that size. I was proud of the way he handled himself, because although he didn’t play as well as I know he can, he never let his head get down – even when he lost the lead. It was a whole new experience for him and for me – I really felt the pressure as well because there was so much riding on it, not just the win but also the Tour card. I can’t say I enjoyed myself because it was far too tense, but when that last putt dropped, it was a great feeling.”
The Kazakhstan Open was the second time in three events that Pete had carried Tommy’s bag to victory, after the pair teamed up in a EuroPro event recently. The following week they finished second at the Rolex Trophy, so it is fair to say that Pete’s recent record is rather impressive.
He is on the bag again this week in Russia and will also caddie for his son at the Fred Olsen Challenge de España and the season-ending Apulia San Domenico Grand Final, where he fully expects Tommy to follow in the spikemarks of Alvaro Velasco and Edoardo Molinari, whose victory at the Kazakhstan Open ensured they would end the year as the Number One graduate.
Thereafter, Tommy will take a much-needed rest from the game before preparing for The 2012 Race to Dubai, when he will need to acquire the services of a new bagman.
Pete said: “Finding the right caddie for him will be one of many important decisions he’ll have to make in the coming weeks and months. He needs to be the boss in the partnership, so he needs to find the right character, because he’s not really one for answering back so there’s a danger that the caddie might walk all over him. He thinks he bosses me around when I’m on the bag, but I can assure you he doesn’t! We’ve had more than our fair share of disagreements down the years, but we kiss and make up afterwards.”
Which brings us onto Tommy’s most endearing quality, according to the man who knows him best.
Pete said: “Not only is he a hard worker and a very good player, he’s also a great kid. Nobody out here has got a bad word to say about him, and that gives me far more satisfaction than his golfing ability. That’ll never change – he’ll always be my son first, and a golfer second.”
