Tommy Fleetwood Is Aiming To Win A Major This Summer

Tommy Fleetwood has seven European tour wins under his belt, but it was securing the vital winning point at the Ryder Cup that endeared him to millions of fans. Jeremy Taylor sits down with one of golf’s hottest talents.

Interview: Tommy Fleetwood

Tommy Fleetwood isn’t one to argue with the old adage that behind every successful man is a woman. The player who clinched the last Ryder Cup for Europe attributes much of his success to his wife of eight years – Clare – who also happens to be his manager.

Born in Southport, Fleetwood enjoyed a successful amateur career before turning pro in 2010, joining the lucrative European Tour two years later. With official prize money now totalling more than £20m, the 34-year-old is also a favourite with fans for his down-to-earth and approachable character.

Fleetwood was just a name on Clare’s agency list of young players to watch when she first met her future husband, at a tournament in Italy over a decade ago. At first, the pair were just friends, travelling back and forth on the same flights to international golf tournaments.

‘I rightly thought she didn’t have any interest in me, so it was a couple of years before anything happened,’ he says. ‘When we finally kissed it really freaked Clare out. Any hope of a romance disappeared for a while. There was a strong connection but as she was my manager by that stage, our relationship focused on golf. We both tried to keep things professional but it just didn’t work out that way.’

The pair were married in 2017 and split their time between homes in Dubai and Cheshire. They have a boy called Frankie, while Fleetwood is also stepfather to Clare’s sons from a previous marriage, Oscar and Mo.

Twenty-three years his senior, Clare says Fleetwood broke all her golden rules. ‘Never mix business with pleasure, don’t go out with a much younger man, no more children. And definitely no dogs!’ He was the cheeky, flirty northern lad who made her laugh. ‘The last thing on my mind was a relationship.’

Clare now manages one of golf’s hottest talents. After a career best third at the US Masters in Augusta last April, Fleetwood followed up with a silver medal at the Paris Olympics. He has seven European Tour wins under his belt – but it was securing the vital winning point at the Ryder Cup back in 2023 that endeared him to millions of golf fans.

Oscar was on the 17th green when his stepdad won the hole. As the pair hugged, both were seen sobbing on TV. ‘I have personal ambitions and dreams, like winning my first major, but I also want to motivate and inspire our children.’

Next on the list of major tournaments for Fleetwood will be the PGA Championship in North Carolina this May, followed by the US Open in June, then the oldest of golf’s major events – the British Open, this year held in Northern Ireland in July. Finally, there’s the small matter of trying to retain the Ryder Cup in the US in September.

‘Sometimes all the family travel with me to events and we often get comments on what an amazing family unit we are. Just to have the relationship with Oscar and Mo is unbelievably cool. When we are all together I feel complete,’ Fleetwood says.

Clare says her husband is a wonderful dad. ‘Both our older boys play golf with him. Frankie is showing early promise, too. I’m incredibly proud of Tommy. He’s genuinely the best person I have ever met and I am so lucky to share my life with him, and for the boys to have him as a role model.’

And did they get a dog? ‘Clare’s nickname is Yogi Bear, so the cockapoo’s called Yogi,’ Fleetwood says, ‘Of course, as soon as we got her, Clare fell in love with her.’

Tommy Fleetwood is a partner of BMW and ambassador for TAG Heuer and DP World Global