Tommy Fleetwood is still riding the high of clinching the winning point for European Ryder Cup glory as he arrives in Scotland with eyes on winning the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
The Englishman is playing for the 12th consecutive time at the home of golf, having competed every year since 2011 (there was no touranment in 2020). In that time he's had six top tens, which includes runner-up finishes in 2014 and 2018, and a victory in the 2019 Team event alongside Odgen Phipps - edging out Rory and Gerry McIlroy to the title on countback.
It's a tournament Fleetwood admits he's dreamt of winning for a long time, and insists there is no Ryder Cup fatigue as he tries to give it everything he can to try and make that a reality this week.
"I'm excited," said he said.
"It's always an event that I've enjoyed. My dad actually said -- my dad is here this week. He has always been here to watch and I think this might be my 13th Dunhill Links Championship, so I think it's the event I've probably played the most on The European Tour.
"It's an event that I've genuinely always really, really wanted to win and I always, still, I always kind of picture myself with the trophy on the Swilken Bridge and it's just not happened yet. I'm looking forward to playing today, practicing and then getting started, and I'll absolutely be giving it my all this week for sure."
Reflecting on last week's Ryder Cup, Fleetwood said that it still all feels a little surreal.
"I think it still feels a bit surreal, really, and I think everybody, like the team, has still been messaging a lot and everybody is still very much enjoying watching the highlights back. Yeah, it's a strange feeling when you think about it, I can't believe the week's over. Just so happy that it finished the way it did and we achieved what we went there to do all together."
Following a convincing two days of work from Team Europe, things had begun to look a little less of a sure thing come Sunday afternoon, meaning it all came down to Tommy Fleetwood's match against Rickie Fowler.
After twice seeing his one-hole lead cancelled out on the front nine, the Englishman moved two clear but could not shake Fowler off until the American sliced his tee-shot on the 16th into the water. He then rolled his putt to around three feet to guarantee a par to go 2 UP, guaranteeing the crucial half-point for victory. He followed it with a dart to just a few feet 17th, Fowler conceding to secure his match win and Europe's victory in the Ryder Cup.
"It's definitely the [career] highlight right now," Fleetwood said of securing the Ryder Cup for Europe.
"I was relieved, I'm still relieved right now that we managed to do it. I think me -- myself and Shane and Bob, we were having some physio in the morning at the golf club and all three of us said, we were joking, but we said we want no part of having to play a role in today's singles. And it sort of became apparent that it might come down to one of us, and there was a lot -- there was just a lot of red in the middle of the board but the games were still relatively close.
"It's a strange one, I had asked Francesco in the morning about some advice because I remember Medinah he went out No. 12, very famously. I said, it's kind of unexpected it would come down to us but I want to be ready for us, and he gave me some great advice. I was trying to focus on my game. I had never won a singles in a Ryder Cup and I was very determined to do that from an individual basis. But still expect, somebody I thought -- we needed a half-point for like an hour and a half. It was quite a long time that needed a half-point. Just very nerve-wracking but I did stand on that 16th tee and I was looking down, like I was looking down the hole at the green and no matter how nervous you are, what an amazing opportunity to do something memorable in your career. I was happy to see my drive set off where it did and go straight.
"There was two options to be honest. So I was thinking there was a minute -- I spoke to Fino about the mini-driver, which I knew would draw so I knew I was never going to hit it right with the mini driver by it was going to go short left. In my mind, Rickie was still going to make par and it was just an opportunity to step up and one good shot was going to win the Ryder Cup, which still gives me goosebumps now when I think about it. For me, I just keep the driver down a little bit and put a swing on it. That was all that I was thinking.
"At the time, just what an amazing opportunity it was. You practise your whole life and all of a sudden, me, Tommy Fleetwood from Southport is stood with one good shot to win the Ryder Cup. I still can't believe it went straight to be honest. But I was very happy I have to say when I looked up and saw where the ball was heading, I was very pleased and then you can't really see where the ball lands. The sun kind of shines at you and all you have to do is wait for what the noise is going to be in the crowd and it was on the green and I was like, yeah, that will do."
This week, he will tee up alongside his close friend Ogden Phipps for the tenth time, the pair having known each other since Fleetwood was 19 years old. They will get their first round under way at Carnoustie on Thursday at 10.17am.
