Have Tommy Fleetwood’s heroics across the pond affected golf here on Merseyside and inspired the next generation to give golf a chance?
The 45th Ryder Cup will be remembered for many reasons, be that the questionable fan behaviour, the monstrous drives of Bryson DeChambeau or that incredible performance on the second day that put Team Europe in the driver’s seat to retain the prestigious trophy.
One man that will hope it’s the latter that’s remembered is Southport’s own Tommy Fleetwood.
Fleetwood saw his final round at Bethpage Black spoilt by a superhuman performance from the impressive Justin Thomas to keep Team USA’s hopes of a fairytale comeback alive. This was, however, the only stain on Fleetwood’s scorecard throughout the weekend, as he claimed a table-topping four points, enough to be the recipient of the Nicklaus-Jacklin Award. The award was bestowed upon him for his impressive sportsmanship, integrity, and overall performance, as well as teamwork throughout the weekend.
So, what does this mean for Merseyside golf?
Liverpool is an emerging hotbed for golf, now boasting over 40 courses within the Merseyside region. Despite this, top players from the area are still few and far between. This could, however, be about to change, with multiple golf establishments having reported a big upturn in popularity since Fleetwood’s surge through the rankings.
Matt Latham, the director of Fliers Golf, an indoor golf establishment that boasts a range of simulators, described the impact that Fleetwood and the Ryder Cup as a whole have had on his business.
He said: “Tommy has a great following locally. His performance with Justin Rose in the fourball against DeChambeau and Scheffler was definitely one of the highlights of the weekend.
“The Ryder Cup weekend was a really busy time for us. We were booked with corporate events and people looking to play Bethpage Black on our simulators while they watched the action on TV. We had bookings for the Ryder Cup weekend months ago”.
It’s clear that despite the tournament being hosted thousands of miles away, the effects were felt locally.
Fleetwood was born in Southport and began playing at his local club, Southport Golf Academy. More than 20 years on, he has inspired many to take to the greens of the same club.
Richard Carpenter, co-owner of Southport Golf Academy, told MerseySportLive: “Tommy is of course associated with Southport, but perhaps remarkably we find that players are not necessarily inspired to take up the game by the success of golfers, and very few could name champions, even of the Open and such.
“A programme of free introductions has been taking place all year and has been very successful – so as I say, it’s a bit hard to work out exactly what gave us the big bounce this year, but general efforts are more likely than one event.
“However, there has been a marked number of junior players in the past two weeks coming on the range and playing our course [coinciding with the start of the Ryder Cup coverage], which, as an academy course, is ideal for the start to their golf journey.”
It’s clear to see that a combination of the growing sporting personality of Fleetwood paired with an event of the magnitude of the Ryder Cup has driven potential future Ryder Cup players to the likes of Fliers and Southport Golf Academy, which is a win for the sport and the region.
Whether it was for Fleetwood’s foursomes or Scheffler’s singles, the spectacle of the Ryder Cup attracted a record-breaking five million viewers across the weekend’s play, according to Sky Sports, showing a real appetite nationwide for the resurgent sport.
Southport and the Merseyside region are feeling the benefit, with Southport Academy Golf Club being granted the title of the official Development Centre for the game in Lancashire and Merseyside.
How long until we see another Merseyside star strutting the greens for Team Europe in the Ryder Cup?
