Tommy Fleetwood sticks to his game, shares lead at halfway point in Olympics – Article

By Mathieu Wood

Tommy Fleetwood admitted the pressure of competing for a medal at the Olympics made him hold back his excitement after he was tied for the lead at the halfway point.

The English player shot a 7-under 64 at the National Golf Club to reach 11 under, tied with defending gold medalist Xander Schauffele and 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama.

While Fleetwood is no stranger to the pressure of golf's global mega-events, the 33-year-old has been working towards a silver medal since winning his seventh DP World Tour title at the Dubai Invitational in January.

“I haven’t competed in a while actually,” he said. “I’m enjoying the competition itself and the Olympics.”

“Like I said, it brings its own mental challenges. You're playing for medals. Looking at the atmosphere this week, we keep getting asked the question, where does the Olympics fit in golf.

“When you look back at how this week has progressed, you see it’s still evolving and you see how people feel about it.

“It brings a nervousness and excitement that is very, very special. So, yes, it's a unique feeling and it's very magical.”

This is Fleetwood's second Olympics. Three years ago he tied for 16th, seven strokes lower than Schauffele's winning score.

He talked about how his six-year-old son Frankie's growing interest in the summer sports extravaganza has helped him gain a deeper understanding of what it means to compete on this stage.

Asked what he would think if his career ended without a Grand Slam title but with just a gold medal, the Team GB athlete replied: “Still a gold medal, right.

“I try to see things through Frankie’s eyes, for example, my six-year-old son.

Winning a gold medal would be the thing I am most proud of.

“If I had a gold medal, he would always take it away after I left or something, and I think that’s something very special.

“I think to be able to be one of these incredible athletes who put their heart and soul into their chosen sport and win a gold medal is the absolute pinnacle of what they do.

“I have incredible respect for it, and I know how special it is and how much it means.

“So I mean, ideally I’d like both, but you know, a gold medal is still something I’d be really proud of.”

Fleetwood won the French Open in 2017 and was the star of Europe's winning Ryder Cup team in 2018, but he insists he cannot rely on those memories alone.

“I’ve played enough to know how the golf course works,” he said.

“It’s a really great golf course to play off the tee and approach shots. I felt really good about the decisions I made off the tee.

“You still have to come out and hit a shot of golf, but I felt good about the way the course played and the game plan. So that’s one side of it.

“But like I said, you still have to step up and hit good shots. I've done a good job so far and I'll try to keep doing that.”