THE 154TH OPEN

July 16, 2026

Tommy Fleetwood

Mixed Zone

Q. Tommy, thoughts on the round?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: It was a battle. I would have loved to have played better, but at the same time, I think take the positives that I shot under par and scrambled really well and battled well.

Like I say, it wasn't that easy out there. 4-under is leading at the moment. I think it shows the difficulty of sort of maybe getting it close, and there's not really loads of birdie opportunities. 1-under is a good start to the week.

Q. I think a lot of golfers have said that, given the conditions and how it can change?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, and the place is only going to get firmer and faster. I would have just loved to have had -- I would have loved to have been a bit more in control today. I was constantly battling. I was constantly on the back foot.

Great finish to the round; those last four holes feel amazing, to be honest. Yeah, I'll do a bit of practice now and hopefully tomorrow I can sort of feel like I have it a bit more under control and have a few more opportunities.

Q. Has it been hard to concentrate? Obviously there's a lot of fanfare around the local players.

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: It's been amazing. I really enjoyed the practice rounds. Been playing really well. Honestly, the support today was a massive lift for me, especially like around that turn where I felt like -- my poor golf stats catch up with me a little bit. I scrambled really well. It's always going to catch up with you at some point. I felt like the crowd really helped me. They definitely sort of carried me a little bit through that patch, and then nice to get that great finish.

Like 15 was a really cool moment. Managed to hole a putt in front of the biggest crowd of the day there, and that was a great 3. It was a pleasure to play in front of everyone. I'm so grateful for the support.

Q. How did you feel emotionally out there and the emotion this morning, and how did that differ to 2017?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, good question. I think when you get to playing, I think you're obviously working to stay very present. I actually did a pretty good job of that. I was enjoying, like, the atmosphere and enjoying playing. It means a lot to me, and like the first tee is a very special experience at an Open in Southport for me. I was pretty nervous, to be honest, on the first tee.

I said to Fino, I'm normally -- after I'd hit my tee shot, like first tees don't bother me that much. I'm always all right on the first tee, but I was nervous is today just with the excitement and stuff. But they've been great.

Whether I play well or not, that's the thing, and that's what I'm very aware of. I don't want to miss out on the experience. It's been amazing so far, and the crowds are amazing. It's really cool to play in front of everyone.

Q. (Indiscernible) turned out last night perhaps?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Not really, no. I think -- well, I was watching the football. I was trying to console my son. Yeah, that was a shame. The football was great to have as something else to think about and watch that.

But no, I felt fine. Whenever there's a major, there's always anticipation anyway, and then to say that this one wouldn't have extra meaning would be silly because obviously it does.

But no, I was fine. Once I got going into the round -- like I said, I would have loved to have felt a little bit more comfortable with my swing. I was battling something there. But I loved playing out there.

Q. There's been some chat about the Open being played in Ireland in the future, taken outside of the UK. Is that something that you're aware of, something you're concerned about perhaps?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: No. I mean, I guess -- when The Open went to Portrush, I think we've had two absolutely amazing Open Championships there. It sounds like there's definitely scope for growth in terms of the rota that they've got. I think we have unbelievable venues, but yeah, I think it's cool, and I think it's -- the R&A, I'm sure, are in close contact with these guys. I just enjoy playing The Open Championship. Wherever it is, I'll enjoy playing.

Q. When you're out there and you've got the crowds, how much do you notice them, and how much can they really help you?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Well, they definitely helped me today. It's like, I don't know how many thousands are here today, but it's like thousands of positive attitudes there and supporting you. It does make a difference. In all honesty, they definitely helped me a lot today throughout a day where I was struggling with my game. They were absolutely amazing.

They're an absolute pleasure to play in front of, unbelievably supportive of me and actually everybody else. But yeah, they helped me a lot today.

Q. Equipment-wise, do you tweak anything coming into this week?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I think all of us carry like 15, 16 clubs and then we figure out what we're going to use. I'm actually using the exact setup that I've used for the majority of the year. I didn't use a 3-iron today. I feel as the course gets faster, I don't really have a need for something that's kind of hot, for me, so I took the 3-iron out this morning and put an extra wedge in again. Like I always have a 60, 56, 52 and a pitching wedge. I used the 56 straight away on the second hole, so it was a good move. So yeah, it ended up being the same bag setup that I have normally.

Q. You played the Heroes Classic with Bryan Habana. How was that?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: He was great. What a beautiful person he is, and he was an absolute pleasure to spend time with. It's always great spending time with successful people. But Bryan was absolutely lovely, and his family were great.