ABU DHABI HSBC GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

November 7, 2024

Tommy Fleetwood

Yas Links

Quick Quotes

Q. 10-under par, 62, equalling the course record and your lowest-ever final round on the DP World Tour. We loved watching it.

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Only equalling course record? Who else has shot 10-under.

Q. Valimaki last year.

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, I got off to a great start. I think I actually -- I didn't feel like I swung it perfectly early on and I actually felt like I started playing better as the round got to the back nine. I felt like I swung it really nicely on the back nine. One poor iron shot trying to drill it on 17.

Putted amazing. Felt like I read the greens so well. Beautiful pace control and hit a lot of good putts and started holing them. I worked even all the way through to the last hole, I just hit perfect putts.

When you shoot a 62, obviously everything is going to have gone very, very well. Just happy to have got off to a great start.

Q. New putter in the bag, some advice from Ken Brown and David Howell, so how is the stroke feeling and how is the putter feeling?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Well, those who were watching it could look and see if it was working. I always look to the guys, they are very supportive of me, week-in, week-out. I love seeing them when I'm out here playing are. We had a really nice discussion about putting. Obviously I've worked with Phil Kenyon for a long time. He's an unbelievably putting coach. You know, I always feel like I'm a good putter. It doesn't always show.

But definitely sort of the second half of this year, like through the summer I haven't putted as well or converted as many putts as we'd have liked. We've been working on that and I happened to bump into Ken and Howler on the course and we were talking about a couple of things. Working on sort of how I move my head in my stroke in a couple of practise drills and what happens there.

And it's always nice to have a good discussion. They are two of the best putters I've ever met and any time you're talking to those guys, you're always going to pick something up.

Q. Were you surprised at how many people went low today?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: The wind picked up a little bit, but overall it was fairly calm, and I think the course, fairways are playing fast. Greens are actually quite receptive and the greens are perfect.

So I think all in all, obviously playing into the hands of good scoring today, I think we'll see how the course firms up. We normally play this tournament in January. It's like two extra months of having like better weather, if you like, over here, like cooler weather where you can really make it firm and fast.

But it will be interesting to see what happens to the course as the week progresses. I think they can keep getting it firmer and there's obviously plenty of pin positions that they can tuck away, and I also think there's a bit of momentum there where I think you start -- people's shots start making birdies you and see the leaderboard and you see low scores coming, and so it obviously shows it's possible. The par 5s are reachable today, comfortably. That makes a huge difference. People are very good at golf.

You've got to this part of the year, and how many are in this field, 70? 70 best players of the European Tour, very good golf and we had nice conditions on a beautiful golf course. Just shows the standard of golf that's out there.