Tommy Fleetwood ‘unbelievably proud’ of capturing silver at Paris Olympics

By Mathieu Wood

Tommy Fleetwood grew up never believing he would one day become an Olympic Games medallist, but now he is.

In his second appearance at sport’s biggest global spectacle, the Englishman claimed Great Britain’s second golf medal since its return to the Olympic programme in 2016.

Only a spectacular course-record-equalling 62 from World Number One Scottie Scheffler stopped Fleetwood from emulating countryman and 2016 gold medallist Justin Rose.

In the heat of a fierce battle that featured a host of the world’s leading players at Le Golf National, Fleetwood had given it his all, and on another day his closing five-under 66 could have been enough.

“There's part of me that's disappointed, of course, but at the same time, I never dreamt that I would be an Olympic medallist,” the seven-time DP World Tour winner said at his post-tournament press conference. “You know, I'm still unbelievably proud and happy with the way the week went. I was proud of the way I played today. And, yeah, I enjoyed it so much.”

Widely respected both inside and outside of the game, Fleetwood knows that the Olympics is just different.

"As a young boy taking up the game of golf, none of us had a chance to win Olympic gold so it was never on our agenda," said Fleetwood. "That quickly changes when you're part of the Olympics, and it feels unbelievably special.

"I know I didn't win gold but standing on that podium with a medal was one of the most amazing moments I've had as a golfer."

On a golf course that has already been the scene of some of the best moments of his career, Fleetwood created more lifelong memories to cherish.

On his first return to Le Golf National since playing an influential part in Team Europe winning the Ryder Cup in 2018, Fleetwood rekindled his love affair with the Albatros course. This was also the scene of DP World Tour success at the Open de France in 2017, so it was perhaps no surprise that Fleetwood enjoyed a large proportion of the support from the near 30,000 crowds.

“This was an incredible atmosphere to play in front of this week and to be a part of,” he added. “I haven't been in the mix that much recently, and I think being back there and playing well and feeling how I felt again… I enjoyed it so much.

“It was a different atmosphere to what we get week-in, week-out in terms of the amount of fans that are supporting their nation out here. Just a different vibe. It was very, very enjoyable, it really, really was.”

Ahead of the final round, Fleetwood said the Olympics had got the leaderboard it deserved. A plethora of household names, including Major Champions, all had medal hopes on Sunday.

After bogeying his first hole, Fleetwood rebounded with a hat-trick of birdies from the second to the fourth. The only issue was that he was not the only one to start strong, with Jon Rahm and eventual winner Scheffler making better starts.

I enjoyed competing against the best players in the world for something that is so sought-after and so cherished

He then showed his resolve again to recover from a dropped shot at the seventh as a run of four birdies between the eighth and 12th kept him firmly in the mix.

But after birdieing the par-three 16th to move into a share of the lead, Fleetwood faltered when a miscued chip shot from the back of the green resulted in a bogey. That dropped shot was to ultimately prove decisive.

“I said earlier in the week, if you're not going to enjoy those times, then you know, you're not going to get much happiness from the game of golf,” he said of the tension that built as the round progressed. “I thought it was great, and I enjoyed competing against the best players in the world for something that is so sought-after and so cherished. This isn't going to happen again now for four years. You're always aware of that.

“I was still pretty nervous trying to get that silver medal over that 6-footer. So that's a different feeling, as well.”