Tommy Fleetwood’s Family: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

(Getty)

British golfer Tommy Fleetwood is currently part of a three-way tie for sixth place at the 2018 Masters Tournament. Heading into Sunday’s final round, he sits at 6-under, tied with Australian Marc Leishman and American Bubba Watson. Fleetwood is paired with Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, who sits at 7-under, and they are scheduled to tee off at 2:20 p.m. Eastern.

Fleetwood surprised many during the 2017 U.S. Open, finishing in fourth place. The 27-year-old Fleetwood is an avid bookworm, a dog lover and is married to Clare Craig, with whom he has a infant son, Frankie.

Fleetwood was born in Southport, England and has been a pro golfer since 2010. He’s won two European Tour tournaments and also won the 2011 Kazakhstan Open on the Challenge Tour. He has earned more than $9 million in his career, according to his Yahoo! Sports profile.

Here’s what you need to know:


1. Fleetwood’s Older Brother Joe Is a Player Manager at Hambric Sports Group

Joe Fleetwood, Tommy Fleetwood family, Tommy Fleetwood brother

Joe Fleetwood. (LinkedIn)

Fleetwood’s brother is Joe Fleetwood, who is a commercial manager/player manager at Hambric Sports Group, which represented Fleetwood until early 2016. His wife and manager, Clare Craig, also used to work for the company.

According to his LinkedIn page, Joe Fleetwood is based in Preston, England. He has been at Hambric since January 2015 and is head of commercial/sponsorship activities in Europe.

Before joining Hambric, Joe Fleetwood was a general manager at Parklands Golf Course in Newcastle upon Tyne and Deputy General Manager at Tenpin Ltd. in Liverpool.


2. Joe Fleetwood Is a Former Golf Pro

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWF454lAHJ5/?taken-by=tommyfleetwood_1

The 36-year-old Joe Fleetwood is also a former professional golfer himself, Golf Business News noted in 2011. That year, Joe was named the new general manager at the Parklands Gold Complex at High Gosforth Park in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

Joe Fleetwood did have a Twitter account, which Fleetwood tagged on his brother’s birthday, but it’s no longer in use.

Joe Fleetwood celebrates his birthday on February 26.


3. Fleetwood’s Father Pete Was his Caddy Earlier in His Career

Early in Fleetwood’s career, his father, Pete Fleetwood, served as his caddy. However, that partnership came to an end in 2011.

According to the Liverpool Echo, Pete performed hard labor, working on construction sites. Those years took their toll on his knees, so Pete used a trolley to carry Fleetwood’s bags around courses. That’s not allowed on the European Pro Tour, so the partnership had to come to an end.

“Finding the right caddy for him will be one of many important decisions he’ll have to make in the coming weeks and months. He needs to be the boss in the partnership, so he needs to find the right character,” Pete told the Liverpool Echo. “I’ll try to get as many tournaments as I can next year, and I’ve got no doubt he’ll win one of them.”

Ian Finnis is Fleetwood’s current caddy.


4. Fleetwood’s Mom & Dad Both Joined Him at the 2017 Masters in Augusta

In April 2017, Fleetwood played at the Masters for the first time in his career. He missed the half-way cut, but it was still an important trip to Augusta National for him. His first coach, Alan Thompson (whom he calls “Thommo”) was there, along with his parents and then-fiancee.

“One of the first people I spoke to was Thommo and he told me it was his last dream in golf to go to the Masters,” Fleetwood told the Daily Mail. “So he’ll be there, with me and Clare and my mum and dad, and my caddie Ian Finnis, who I’ve known since I was 13.”

Fleetwood noted that his father was also going to caddy for him. “My dad is going to caddy for me in the par three and it’s going to feel like an acknowledgement of how far we’ve all come,” Fleetwood told the Daily Mail in March 2017.


5. Fleetwood’s Father Remains Influential to His Game & He Is Growing His Hair Out Because His Father Is Going Bald

Fleetwood has gained some attention for his long hair. In an interview with the Mirror, he explained that he’s seeing his father go bald, so he wants to enjoy having hair while it lasts.

“My dad is going bald, so I might as well make the most of my hair as long as I have got it,” Fleetwood told the Mirror. “I enjoy pushing the ­fashion boundaries in golf. It’s a bit of fun, isn’t it? I’ve tried the bandana/headband look, and now I’m ­liking wearing some tapered trousers, too. Golf is moving into the future with new ­formats and new rules, so why not in fashion, too?”

Fleetwood said that the reaction to his long hair has almost been universally positive and he’s got “think skin and I don’t take it too seriously.”

Fleetwood’s father might not be on the golf course with him every day, but he remains important to his son’s golfing career. He told the Daily Mail that he called Pete Fleetwood when he was struggling during a tournament in China in 2016.

“I’d never really struggled before and I found it difficult to express to people how bad I felt inside,” Fleetwood recalled. “My dad told me there was only one man who knew my swing as well as he did and that was my first coach, Alan Thompson. So I texted him and we arranged to meet up.”

Fleetwood’s parents still live in Southampton. They didn’t grow up rich, so Fleetwood has had difficulty understanding that he now has the money to spend on himself.

“We had nowt growing up, but as kids you don’t worry or think about it,” Fleetwood told the Daily Mail. “I’ve talked to my dad about why I don’t think about money, even now, when it makes the world go round in so many ways, and I know my lackluster approach annoys Clare (who is also his manager) sometimes. But what can you do?”

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