MEN'S OLYMPIC GOLF COMPETITION

August 1, 2024

Tommy Fleetwood

Le Golf National

Great Britain

Quick Quotes

Q. How do you sum that up? You must be quite pleased?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I was really. I was just saying before, I haven't been playing that great in practise and summer so far has not gone particularly how I wanted it to.

Been working hard on trying to get my golf swing to where I feel really happy with it. Just got off to a solid start, really. Obviously had a plan in how I wanted to play or what I had to do out there to get the best out of it.

Did a lot of very good things. I was in play off the tee most of the day and when I did get out of position, I either got away with it, or I look back on 5 and I made a good put for par so I did all the right things on this golf course.

Q. What was it like out there, after no fans in Tokyo.

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, it's a different crowd for us. This is a real Olympic crowd and a lot of supporters that might not have watched the sport before. We had a lot of Great Britain supporters out there and that was really nice, even the fans from this country, as well, from France, being part of Europe as well helped me.

A lot of people are on my side, and it was a great atmosphere to play in front of. We're all surprised how many people were on the first couple holes when we set out playing. The Olympics is cool. It really is.

Q. Can you tell us about your Village experience, being amongst other athletes and that people recognized you?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Not in the Village this week. I haven't been in. But in Tokyo I absolutely loved it. Being amongst all the athletes that putt their heart and soul into their individual sports, feeling the love and passion for what they are doing, there are so many similarities to people who do sport for a living or at the top end but there's so many different sports that are going on and so many different people. It's just amazing to be a part of. It's very, very inspiring.

Q. Tell us, where a medal would pitch in your achievements in golf?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I keep saying, I think there's probably not quite a generation behind me but definitely my generation, we didn't grow up with the chance to dream of winning an Olympic Gold Medal. Golf wasn't in the Olympics.

So for me every time I practiced it was, holing a putt to win The Open or whatever it might be. If you look down now, my six-year-old son, as soon as the Olympics start, he starts watching Team GB and he absolutely loves it. Since golf has been in the Olympics in 2016, it's getting higher and higher on people's agenda because you know the magnitude and how amazing it is and the people that put their heart and souls into it. The Olympics just continues to get higher and higher as a pedigree and I'm sure it will continue to grow for sure.

Q. When you had a ball in the air, did it feel like any other tournament, and if it didn't, why not?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: It does and it doesn't. I think week-in, week-out, no matter how you're playing, you try to get the absolute best out of it. We obviously are now, three places and that's all that we've got. Other than that, like nobody will ever look at it. You won't have a Top-10 on your resumé or whatever it might be. There is that aspect to it.

The crowd have a different feel to it. The crowd has a different vibe to what a regular golf tournament was.

Q. Different how?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: It's hard to explain but you know that it's not your usual golf kind of crowd or atmosphere. I think they are like -- they are watching golf but they are kind of just support -- a lot of them are just supporting the people they want to support or their nation, I think, and I think that's really cool. It's hard to describe but you definitely know that it's not your usual, and it's great.

Q. Did you see anything funny from rookie fans who didn't understand the golf etiquette?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: No, there was nothing like that. Overall, absolutely very, very supportive and very positive of everything you do. It's nice.

Q. Any good vibes from past tournaments?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Not really. I remember playing the golf shots and the golf course is in front of you and I know how the golf course plays but past tournaments, they are not going to help me in any way, sort of thing. So I try and just focus on shots in hand but of course you have like experience of what has happened before and past things.

Q. I'm sure you've been asked this before. Was it a constant conversation, when it comes to this event, format change, where do you fall?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I would love the chance to have a team aspect as well just because it's another chance for a medal. I would like more chances other than one. I think everything is up for sort of debate I guess but I think a 72-hole stroke-play, if it's an Olympic medal and has the prestige that it should have, it should be the same as the majors.

Q. Have you communicated with anyone in your hometown about what happened the other day?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Obviously I still have friends and family in town. It seems like a difficult time and yeah, there's always reactions from everyone. I just think it's very, very difficult and very, very raw at the at the moment, and I think as each day progresses, I guess the whole town just gets together and tries to, because once something like that happens, I think everybody feels affected, near and local.

So yeah, I think everybody just wants to get the town back to a good feeling, really, because at the moment, it's pretty difficult.

Q. Do you have close family that still live there?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: My dad's still there and then a lot of cousins from my mum's side. The majority of my family actually are still in Southport. Like I say, everybody feels the effects of something like that that's happening, and you never expect it. Kind of never expect it to happen but especially in like a little town like Southport. All we can do now is try and move forward and make the best of it and do what we can for the ones that have been affected, really.