Remember Tommy Fleetwood? Golf’s decision makers didn’t, when they thought it reasonable to resume world ranking points as the PGA Tour emerged from lockdown. Fleetwood was among a group of the best players in the world, consigned to their home countries because of travel restrictions while others could increase their status because of their ease of access within the United States. The Englishman crossed the Atlantic and spent two weeks in quarantine, just before the White House decreed sportspeople of his ilk need not do so. Lucky Tommy, this was not.
Remember Tommy Fleetwood? This is a player who signed for a closing round of 63 at the 2018 US Open, thereby coming within a whisker of stealing Brooks Koepka’s thunder at Shinnecock Hills. At that juncture, a major win appeared so closely within Fleetwood’s grasp.
He was second, again, as Shane Lowry triumphed at the 2019 Open Championship. It has been understandably lost in the melee of Covid-19 but in specific context of golf, Fleetwood has cause to rue a disruption to the major scene of 2020. “Experience? You can’t buy it,” said Fleetwood. “I’ve been lucky enough to have some of that and hopefully it stands me in good stead moving forward.”
Remember me, said Fleetwood. His second round of 64 in the US PGA Championship catapulted him through the field. Fleetwood played the back nine at Harding Park, his front, in just 31 shots. The sole aberration on the 2nd, his 11th, paled into insignificance against a six-under-par round. Fleetwood improved by six from day one. In his two PGA Tour starts following his return to the US Fleetwood missed the cut at the 3M Open and tied 35th at last weekend’s World Golf Championship.
“I’m the same person,” said Fleetwood with a smile when asked to assess Shinnecock against Harding Park. “I’ve got a little bit more experience. If you look at it, was I playing better at Shinnecock? Maybe. But that might only be because I’ve only played two weeks since coming back.
“But I feel the same, I guess, with a few more majors under my belt of experience. Hopefully they stand me in good stead over the weekend. Any time you’re in contention for a major, it’s an experience, and I feel like I’ve done it a few times, so every time you learn. Every time these weeks come about you prepare for it to be your week, and today was a great day. I’ve got a weekend of golf left. We’ll see.” We will, indeed.
The 29-year-old from Southport is candid about the issues raised by travel barriers between the UK and US. He did not take the option of appearing at the PGA Tour’s restart in mid-June on personal, and perfectly understandable, grounds.
“I think you assess the situation week in, week out at the moment and see how everybody feels,” Fleetwood added. “I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer to what anybody does. What I did was I knew whenever I did come over to the States there was a two-week quarantine and I knew I was going to spend a long stretch.
“You looked at the schedule. If you look at starting last week, there was a WGC, there’s a major this week, then you’re working your way into the [FedEx] Play-offs and then there’s a US Open, so there’s a long stint of big events. If all goes well I’ll be here for a while, playing a lot.
“With the quarantine it made it not impossible but very close to that where I would come and travel over and then go home and come back again. I was leaving it as late as possible to start playing just because then it would be a straight stretch in America. All people can go on is reading the news and what the numbers are on a day-by-day basis and if they feel safe or happy to do so, and I think that’s all people have done really.”
Bryson DeChambeau seems destined to dominate elements of this year in golf. To be fair to the Californian, he is backing up claims of redefining this sport with brute force by at least semi-decent results. DeChambeau posted a second day 70 at Harding Park to stay at minus two. A bogey at the 9th, DeChambeau’s final hole, visibly stung. “Today wasn’t my best but hopefully the weekend will bring something different,” he said.
Li Haotong added a 65 to his first-round 67 to sit at eight under par before Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods had even taken to the course. “I’ve got no expectation actually, because you know for the last few months, I’ve stayed at home doing nothing,” said Li. “I just want to be out here having fun.”
Time will tell if this carefree approach can carry the 25-year-old from Hunan successfully through the closing 36 holes.
Sergio García and Graeme McDowell were among those to exit San Francisco at the halfway point.
