Tommy Fleetwood opens Open with battling Birkdale 69
Tommy Fleetwood opened The Open at Royal Birkdale with a battling one-under-par 69, staying in the mix on his Southport home course as he chases a first major. The hometown favourite called the round a fight and said local fans helped carry him through.
Born and raised in Southport, Fleetwood is among the favourites at a venue he once treated as hallowed turf. According to The Guardian, his opening 69 featured three birdies and two bogeys—far better than the six-over first round he posted the last time The Open visited Birkdale.
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Key Takeaways
- Tommy Fleetwood carded an opening-round 69 (one under) at Royal Birkdale and labelled it a “battle.”
- Local support mattered: he said the Southport crowd helped scramble him through the turn.
- PGA TOUR Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton ranked Fleetwood No. 1 in his Power Rankings for the home Open.
- He is still seeking a first major, with runner-up finishes in the 2018 U.S. Open and 2019 Open on his résumé.
How did Tommy Fleetwood’s opening round go?
Fleetwood’s one-under start kept him in contention on a course he said offers few easy birdie chances. “It wasn’t that easy out there,” he told reporters after the round. “One under is a good start to the week.”
He was grouped with Jon Rahm, also one under after 18, and Jordan Spieth, the 2017 Open champion at Birkdale who struggled comparatively on day one.
The scoreline masked hard work. Fleetwood credited the galleries for a “massive lift,” especially around the turn, saying they “carried” him a little when he needed to scramble.
Why does a Birkdale Open mean so much to Tommy Fleetwood?
Fleetwood learned the game at Southport Municipal and later joined Formby Hall. Royal Birkdale sat in between—close enough to dream about, rarely open to kids like him unless they hopped the fence behind the fifth fairway.
“I did it once or twice,” he admitted this week. As a boy he chased autographs here in 1998, when Mark O’Meara won The Open; that visit helped spark his pro ambitions. He still runs a low-cost kids’ academy at Formby Hall aimed at families who cannot afford Birkdale green fees.
ESPN notes he is making a 45th major start and would love to claim a first major in the town where he grew up—something no English-born Open champion has done since Nick Faldo in 1992.
Is Tommy Fleetwood a serious Open pick this week?
Bolton’s pre-tournament PGA TOUR analysis put Fleetwood atop the Power Rankings and framed the week as a true home game. Recent home wins by players such as Nick Taylor and Robert MacIntyre, Bolton argued, show local pressure need not be a distraction.
Conditions at the 154th Open—firm, fast Birkdale with lighter winds than a classic links slog—were expected to reward ball-strikers. Fleetwood’s battling 69 keeps that storyline alive heading into the middle rounds.
Whether the Claret Jug finally follows remains open. For now, Southport’s “Tommy Lad” has what he wanted on Thursday: a share of the early fight, and a course that finally feels like home.