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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Andy Bull at Royal Birkdale

Glory eludes hometown hero Tommy Fleetwood in his dream made reality

Tommy Fleetwood walks down the 18th hole.
‘The atmosphere walking down 18 was beyond anything I ever dreamed,’ said Tommy Fleetwood, who finished three off the lead. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Two o’clock on a sunny Sunday afternoon, five hours or so to go in the 154th Open Championship, and here comes Tommy Fleetwood up the 1st fairway, five shots off the lead. A delay in one of the groups up ahead meant that Fleetwood has had to stand and wait 15 minutes at the tee box, which is maybe why, when he finally got up to play his opening shot, he pulled it left into the rough stuff behind a fairway bunker. It was the first time he’d missed that shot all week.

From there, Fleetwood had caught his second shot a little thinner than he wanted. He shrugged as he followed its flight, twisted his lips into a grimace as he watched the ball drop and stop about 20 metres short of where it needed to be. “Head up, kid!” someone cried out. “Head up!”

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