ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP

September 30, 2021

Tommy Fleetwood

Quick Quotes

Q. Is that just what the doctor ordered today?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, I played nice. Obviously I haven't done loads since Sunday. Felt like -- I played yesterday. I played 18 holes ask felt like I played well. I mean, we had nice conditions today. We saw when we were warming up, it looked like it could be like just a battle all day and it turned out we had a lovely day to play Carnoustie.

But I played well. Felt very in control and like it's a perfect week sort of after The Ryder Cup, I would say. I enjoyed playing here. I have a lot of friends here. So I'm sort of in a good head space and swing felt great today. Putted really well. In the end, 6-under was like just a cruise in the end, which is just one of those days that you really, really enjoy.

Q. Chatting to Shane yesterday, he said he was pretty tired after The Ryder Cup. Do you sort of feel that or do you sort of feel more relaxed about this week as well which might help?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: No, energy's fine. I feel -- I feel good. I think last week was a very motivating week, and I enjoyed the energy that I got from my teammates and The Ryder Cup in general and everything that it brought.

Yeah, this week is like a nice week to come, especially when you have friends here and it's such a good atmosphere, and you have a really nice time, but I still -- I love the golf courses, and whenever this event comes around, I feel like it's a really great opportunity for me to have a great week because I feel good on the courses and I've played well here in the past.

My energy feels fine. I'm going to go and train after this and when I get back to the Old Course and stuff, I feel really good, and hopefully I have more days like today, really.

Q. Was it a frustration for you not to be involved in more matches or was it along the lines of what you were expecting?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: No, not at all. I thought the teams that we put out were great. We've got 12 amazing players. We had good strength and depth. At the end of the day, of course, I would love to play, but also, I felt like I could do a good job in fourballs. I would have loved to have done better in fourballs, and I think the four sometimes teams that went out were right and they were really, really good.

We sort of -- we just -- weren't that far away, but we were far away in the end. All the crucial moments sort of went the other way, and especially in my matches, as well. Obviously I watched golf and I played it, and putts going the other way, you know, we missed a hole and it turns games on their heads. I felt like they did that so much better than us.

We really as a team didn't perform as bad as what the score line suggested but still getting stumped really hurt us and it brought us very close together, and I think motivated us all a lot really to sit out and hopefully get it back.

Q. There were discussions about the American system and the European system that you guys come through, the talent pathways, when you were coming through, was going over to the U.S. college system every an option for you or something you looked at?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: No. I was playing a lot for England and I was traveling a lot. No, I obviously thought about it because you get to that age where you do think about it but at the same time, when I turned pro, I was in a situation where I kind of needed to start earning money for my family everything and, and I didn't -- I didn't really have the option to go off to college until I was 22, really, so I turned pro at 19 and that was it. We were on our way. But I'm really interested in the college system. I think it produces a lot of amazing players. I think it is an amazing system. I think the English Golf Union and the system they put together is fantastic, and we produce good players, as well.

I don't think there's a right or wrong one. I think you take -- no matter where you go, you're probably going to get really, really good information. You're going to be in a competitive environment, and it's what you then do with that information and what you get that takes you forward, really. There's always going to be talented players either side who come through.