OPEN DE FRANCE

September 22, 2026

Tommy Fleetwood

Le Golf National

Quick Quotes

Q. So you love this place?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Well, yeah, it's -- so I played with Alex Levy yesterday, and we were talking, and I said I've played -- I think I played seven French Opens. I've missed the cut six times and one won. So that's my record of the French Open.

But I think, you know, the last green here, I think I've had, well, absolutely some of the best moments of my career. I won the French Open, the Ryder Cup, it was my first Ryder Cup, and that was unbelievably special, and we won that one. And then the Olympics two years ago, standing on the Olympic podium.

So, yeah, this place has been very kind to me over the years.

Q. Why did you come back to the Open de France this year particularly? What made the choice?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Well, I think around the time of year, for us that play, you know, the world of golf and the way it is, we have a PGA TOUR cut, and we spend January really until August playing on the PGA TOUR, doing our best over there.

And then the way the schedule works now, it gives us the opportunity to come back and play in Europe, in mainland Europe. And for me, I haven't been to France or played the French Open for quite a long time now. And the schedule worked perfectly. I could go spend two weeks at home after Atlanta, after the PGA TOUR. Play Wentworth. I always play the Dunhill because I play with a really, really close friend, and then French Open just fit perfectly in that slot where I could play three weeks in a row.

So, yeah, it gave me the perfect opportunity to come back and play here again.

Q. Have you had a chance to play the new holes?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: No. I played the back nine yesterday. So I played the back nine with Alex, and I think all the greens are new and relaid. But I am looking forward to playing 4, 5, and 6. I think those are the ones that have changed.

So you see them on a picture in the yardage book, but I'm excited to play them. I think they look like the holes still have remained similar in terms of the way they probably play, but definitely like new look, slightly different doglegs.

So, yeah, I'm looking forward to playing those holes. I played the back 15th tee yesterday. That was pretty brutal. So it was playing into the wind, and that's like a very -- just a very different challenge on that hole now.

So I know they had to do some changes, but I love the course has kept its identity and main character. I think that's really important. And, of course, it's got one of the best finishes in world golf, and that has remained the same.

So looking forward to playing the front nine today.

Q. How do you feel about your game at this moment?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, last week was, you know, a very disappointing week. I just didn't perform well at all. But I think I've been playing -- my game has felt fine. My results since the Open, we had that time off in summer, and then the playoffs, I did okay. I didn't do badly, I didn't do great, but I did okay. And last week was poor.

But my game doesn't feel far away at all. It feels fine. So, yeah, looking forward to playing these events and trying to put in a strong finish to the season. I definitely feel like I'm close to playing well, just like putting it all together and getting some momentum.

Q. A lot of European players say that there is a big difference between PGA TOUR and European Tour in terms of atmosphere, mentality, and the way to approach the tournament. How do you feel about those differences between, and can you compare those two tours?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, I mean, I think that it is different. But I think when --

Q. Would you say that the European Tour is more friendly?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I don't know whether more friendly. I think there's definitely a different atmosphere. I think the PGA TOUR -- I think the main difference that you realize when you go into the PGA TOUR is it's probably the -- when you arrive to a PGA TOUR event, you get given a car to drive around yourself, and then obviously because of that everybody spreads out a little bit and stays in different places, everybody has their own thing that they do week in, week out.

So I think literally that starts like a different culture as it is because you play in Europe, and my years or my first years on the Tour, we could go to South Africa, we would go to Asia, and all of those you would stay in the same hotel, and you would get team -- you know, you get a bus or cars, whatever.

So everybody was a lot more collectively together. So that was how that worked. So, yeah, it's different in that sense. I think it's PGA TOUR you have more time on your own.

Q. It's more individual.

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah. You definitely spend more time -- yeah. You spend more time on your own. And I also think in America PGA TOUR, the country is so big, and so many places are different. But you can almost do the same thing -- you could eat at the same restaurant, just in a different city every single week.

Whereas I think Europe, there's so many different cultures and so many different places, which is it's so nice to come back to. It's so lovely coming to, you know, the French Open, and then you go to Madrid one week or you're in Scotland, London last week, and every week is different.

Whereas you can have -- definitely on the PGA TOUR you can have a much more set. If you like doing one thing, you can definitely transfer that into the next city and stuff.

So, yeah, it's different. It's different in that sense. And the tournaments -- it's tough. The standard is really high. I think the standard is high in America. I think the standard is high in Europe.

So when you've played long enough on both tours, I think I don't feel a difference in how I feel this week to, you know, how I felt at the Travelers Championship. I know that I'll prepare the same way and I'll do the same things.

Q. Rory said that you will go to Dubai? And you, because of the --

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Well, yeah, I mean, I live there, so it's a simple one for me. And I think the time that I just spent there, I was there for two weeks after PGA TOUR finished. And my experience of it was I did the school run, and then I practised. So in those situations, you would never know anything was going on.

We have no idea where world politics is going to go or what's going to happen, but my experience over the last two weeks was fine. Everything was great, and everything was good.

So we will see. If the tournaments are going ahead and I qualify for them, because I'm not guaranteed yet, then, of course, I'll be there.

Q. It might be in Spain. You've heard about that?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Oh, yeah. I did hear that. That would be a beautiful area as well. So if the event goes on there, then great, it will be lovely to go to Spain at a late time in the year and play.

Q. How will you assess -- you talked about your game right now, but the whole season, how will you assess this season?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Well, I actually think almost like throughout the season, I probably played almost better than last year at times. I think I was really consistent. I put myself into contention on a Saturday and the start of Sunday a lot.

And, yeah, like I played very well. I think The Open Championship, the U.S. Open I was in contention early on on Sundays. I made it to the Tour Championships on the PGA TOUR, which I always think is a great achievement throughout the year.

So, yeah, I played well, and I would say my season has been really good so far. But then you always know like however you finish the season is probably how you're going to feel about it at the end of the year.

So I've got this week -- I have five events left hopefully. So as good as I felt the season was for a big chunk of it, I always feel like the final few events are sort of defining in how you probably feel when it comes to November and December and you look at how you're going to start the next year.

Q. A question about the PGA TOUR. What do you think about the evolution?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: You know, as is always the case, if you're playing where you want to play, like if you're playing in the biggest events, you -- I don't want to say you don't care, but you're fine with whatever is going on. Like if you're in those events and you're playing where you want to be, then you think, yeah, it's great. Like it's fine.

The game sort of keeps evolving. I remember the way the schedule was and the way that the PGA TOUR was or DP World Tour before, I thought it was great as it was. But it keeps evolving and they keep trying to accommodate what players kind of feel that they want or what they feel should happen.

So, yeah, I look forward to hopefully playing in those events and playing with the best players. As long as I can do that, then I'll be happy wherever I am. I'm just lucky that I get to play golf as my job, and wherever that may be, I'll be happy with it.

Q. The start of the week, you have the time to go in Paris?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: No, I haven't. So I flew in on Sunday night. And I did a full day of practise yesterday. So, yeah, I would love to go into Paris. I have friends in Paris. I love the city. So maybe we might manage to get a little trip in. But at the same time, I love being in Versailles as well.

Q. Trianon is not bad?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Trianon is not bad, yeah. Yeah. Life is okay. So it really is a beautiful week. And I love coming back to this country. Like I say, I have some great friends on Tour, great friends in life in the city and in the area, and it's always been so good to me.

Q. And you're fluent in French?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I wish. I wish. Alex makes fun of my French all the time. But I try. I try. I passed my exams at school.