CLARE BODEL: Welcome back to the BMW PGA Championship. How does it feel to come back to Wentworth?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: It's always lovely. I think this tournament, it's our Flagship Event for the Tour, isn't it, and I think everything about the week, the course, it's very historic and very well-known and I think it's very special and the crowds are always amazing.
Of course, being an Englishman, playing in England is always really cool. Always been really lucky with the support we get. I think it's great. I've never quite managed to play as well as I would have liked; it's been one of those for me. But I always feel like there's a chance. I like the way the course sets up. I'm looking forward to getting started.
Q. Wanted to ask about the Adare trip on Monday.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: It was great. I would say any time you are involved in any kind of Ryder Cup preparation, get-together, just being part of that, whether you call it a squad or whatever you call it, it's a massive privilege to be involved in that. I think it's very motivating, as well. Always enjoy getting together with the players.
We spend so much of our time doing individual preparations, working on your own game and stuff, and as much time as we do spend during practise rounds, there's always that element of you're trying to get your game. But I do enjoy that environment. We had a great time together.
Yeah, definitely seeing there's so much that's going to happen between now and then but getting a glimpse, a taste of it, was really cool.
Q. Who did you play with?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Justin, Angel and Shane.
Q. What do you think makes National Opens so important to the DP World Tour on the schedule?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Well, a lot of very, very historic events. I think that -- I've got to say, I'm so proud of like Europe and this tour and the places that we do, the countries and places that make it. I think National Opens always have like a special, special place in those.
I think growing up, we are very, very lucky to have so many National Opens. Any time you play in them, whether you grow up in the area, there's been moments over the years, or whether it's a longstanding event as a player, of course, the way the world of golf is now, the schedule takes you wherever. You play the events that are obviously right at the top. I think National Opens, you're always proud to play them.
Q. Aaron ask Ryan, two extremely popular men. Can you talk about their characters?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Well, first of all, they are lovely people. They are such good men, if you like. They are such good people. It's such a great quality to be -- for all of us, we are so into our own careers. It's such a huge quality and great quality, and you want the best for other people while you're trying yourself.
I think they are games are very, very different. A lot is made of Aaron's -- I think a lot is made of Aaron's work ethic and his structures and everything, but whenever I play with him, I think he plays with a lot of feel and shapes it both ways. Definitely his game, it's made or majors in a way, the way he plays golf. He's never going to smash it around a golf course. He's always going to plot his way around and he's always going to be very strategic. I've always felt like Aaron's game is meant for some of the toughest golf courses in the world.
I played with Ryan at the BMW event in America, and it was nice to be playing with him so soon after winning The Open. We spoke about that quite a lot. He's won some big events, and to be so humble and have such a heart or mind for the bogey moments, you saw the putt he holed to win The Open, or holing a putt to win the tournament here, made eagle to win the Canadian Open in a playoff.
Two great players and two great major championships that certainly deserved it.
Q. You're humble yourself. I wonder how often you take a step back and think about how fortunate you are with the position you're in and all that you do because of this game?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I try to think about it every day pretty much. I think it's really, really important. It's one of the easiest things to do when thing are going well is to be grateful for what's happening and where you are.
It's just so important to -- I think just having awareness and where you might be one day and what you have dreamt of -- I'm definitely never going to be the one that says the game doesn't get you down week-by-week, you have your low moments, it gets frustrating, you get upset. Of course you do. At times, we do travel the world, and you feel a bit lost at certain times, and yeah, you're on your own on a course. Those times aren't the best.
But equally, if I was to tell my ten-year-old self that's part of the dream as well. That's what we've always wanted. But yeah, I do think probably our worst days are a lot better than most. I'm kind of aware of that and I'm very appreciative for all the opportunity I've had.
At the end of the day, however I'm playing or wherever I am in the world, I get to wake up and I get to practice at a game that I love as my job. I just think it's really important to try and have an awareness of that and mentally for everybody, if it's something that you're going to have to work on at different times.
But definitely, yeah, very, very grateful.
Q. (On Rory's comments about the Championship Series.)
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, I probably would agree. I feel like it's probably important for this tour, yeah, to have their sort of position. I think great things have come from the PGA TOUR -- I think Foxy is a great story, to be fair.
Is it ideal to have 10 spots for particulars to go another tour? I think did gives you an opportunity, at the moment, if you want to be the best you can possibly be or play in the biggest tournaments, there is a place -- PGA TOUR, and maybe in years' time, that Championship Series -- so yeah, giving you opportunities to get there, I think is great.
I think Rory described it well. A lateral move -- at the same time, I think -- I don't know what the pathway should lack like. I'm very, very happy having nothing to do with that and sort of having -- in way having not a big opinion on it. I'm happy to be a player and trying to play.
I think the right thing to do for this tour would be to have some spots to the Championship Series.
Q. A few players expressed some misgivings of going to the Emirates. As a player who has a home there --
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Well, I think all the preparations for those tournaments to go ahead, and I think our plans and hopes are that we'll be in the Middle East at the end of the year.
I'm not someone that is going to be update world politics and what's going on. But I've just been there for two weeks. I went home after Atlanta. You know, as much as my knowledge, which kind of over the last two weeks has been school run and some practice, it's fine in both of those cases. The school run has been fine and the driving range has been good. There's been nothing happening on those.
I think everybody's their own person, and I think that everybody kind of makes their own decisions of how they feel and what's going on. I can't be someone that knows what's going to happen in the future or knows worldly thinking or what's going on but from my own experience at home, it was great to go home for the last few weeks for some of us that live there.
Q. Does this course suit you? Is this a course where 62s or 63s are on the card?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: It should be a course that suits me. I think you have to play golf -- you have to keep the ball in play. It's a big advantage if you hit fairways, greens in regulations. Your question give yourself birdie chances all time.
So I like the course for that. A lot of short to mid-irons. Yeah, just sort of -- you know, hasn't transpired for me over the past few years. I think I was in the final group on Sunday maybe two or three years ago. I've had a lot of rounds, maybe sixth my best-ever finish, which, yeah, like I would hope for better, but you never know. It could be this week. I think my execution has not been as good as my visualisation. It's a great course and I always look forward to playing it but all hasn't always gone my way so far.
Q. 11 of 12 from Rome went to New York. If you were in Luke's shoes, what would be the realistic number to go to Adare Manor from that 12?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: That's such a tough question. I'm pretty sure Luke won't have numbers in mind of players. I think he'll just want the best 12 players at any given time or whenever the Ryder Cup is on.
It was amazing, really, to go from Rome and to have 11 of the 12, and yeah, like very, very rare. It was great going into an away Ryder Cup after Rome, and I felt like it was a big transition year. Rome was a big transition year for Team Europe. You would hope, I'm sure from Luke's thinking, you would hope to have like a really good core group of guys that are experienced and that have been there for the last few.
But at the same time, I'm sure he wants the best players there at the time. A year to ago, you don't know what's going to happen.
Q. Politics permitting, the Team Cup has been confirmed in January. How much are looking forward to that, and giving rookies a chance?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: It's been great. I guess you could place it in the Ryder Cup Team Europe ecosystem, if you like. I think it's been really, really good. Going back on the plane home from Whistling Straits after having a record loss, that was one of the things that we were thinking on the plane, how do we never let this happen again. We said we wanted a team event back.
I think it's been great for that. It's great for the players but also I guess for Luke, vice captains, backroom staff, just have to, like, anything that they are thinking or plans they want to do, they can test it and see how it goes. For us, it's a great way to getting your game sharp in a team environment and match play environment. I think it's really important.
Definitely like team golf and a week like Ryder Cup or Team Cup, where you don't really have your individual time that you would have in a normal tournament. I think it's really important to be in that environment.
So yeah, I think it works great and it's really important.
CLARE BODEL: Thank you, everyone. Thank you, Tommy.
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