Q. Okay, Tommy, welcome back to the DP World Tour. Last time you were here you were holding a trophy. I don't know of you can maybe reflect on those memories from last year.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, it's lovely coming back. It's always really nice coming back when you've had a great tournament the year before at that venue. Yeah winning a tournament with so many beautiful memories, that is lovely.
I think this tournament last year came at a time when I was playing, yeah, playing amazing golf. Probably some of the best of my career. I think when I do look back, when I come here I think I'm always going to be grateful for the moments that I got with Frankie there on the 18th green.
I came back to India after a few years, and just the way the crowds were and the people were and the support that we got, just all the uniqueness that went with this tournament.
So, yeah, a lot of great roots here and feelings and it's really nice to come back.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.
Q. Welcome back. Nice to see you again. Do you get to see Frankie during this week?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, Frankie and Clare are here. He came on the putting green with me yesterday. He generally gives me some tips when I'm practicing.
Q. Did you notice any difference from the way it was playing last year?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, for sure. I mean, the biggest difference is the rough, how thickly they've grown it and penal they've made it.
I think, you know, without question the golf course, you have to be playing the golf courses from the fairway. It was like that before. But last year I felt like if you did miss fairways, as uncontrollable as the rough was and the way that bermuda plays, like you could hit it towards the green and you could have the option of trying to figure out where do I want to miss it? I'm unlikely to hit the green, but I'll get it up there close and figure it out; whereas, so far I've played nine hole yesterday in the morning, very early morning when it was wet, and then today, I mean, you hit it in the rough and you're just hacking it out, you know, back into play.
I think that's definitely an added layer to the golf course. The general gist of the course stays the same. You have to hit fairways to be able to control your golf ball and be able to shoot a good score, but the rough has just made it made it that little bit more penal as well.
Q. Just wanted to understand how you approach a particular tournament, because last couple of seasons have been very consistent for you. Could you give us a peek into how you prepare, the mindset, what it's like for the season? Does the process remain the same?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I think so. I think to be -- everything I do I try and look at what it takes to be one of the best players in the world and what the best players are doing. A lot of it you try and imitate, but you just look at your game as a whole and how can I sort of play at that level where the best players are.
I do believe consistency of a certain level is very, very important, so I try to -- in my practice try and reach a level that I think, you know, is at that point, whether it be Top 5, Top 10, whatever that may be.
So I think that's important in the way you practice day to day. Each week gives you a challenge and we have access to so many statistics these days. We come back to the same courses a lot so you do have a sense of what each course requires and how you've played before and maybe what you could change or what you need to do to do the same.
I think when I try and do that, I really try to work on being as motivated as possible every week. I think there is a mental sharpness that's so important, and I think when you see ups and downs in a season, at times there is just a tiredness element to it. Of course there are times you're just not going play well. That's just the nature of golf.
I just try and remain at the highest level I can possibly maintain week in and week out and try and stay consistent with my all my practice and then my play and my attitude as well.
It doesn't always go that way, but that's what I believe in and what I try to strive for.
Q. Tommy, you've been talking about rough, and this year a lot of players have said that the rough is long. It also seems to be kind of a connection where the balls are not running through the fairways and getting into the bushes, which could be worse. Are professional golfers ever happy with the course setup?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I like the course setup, by the way. I do. I think it's a great championship setup. But, yeah, I think the setup is perfect. That's an added level of difficulty, which in championship golf is what you want. I think this is a great example of a golf course -- and as players, we are all happy when I think the setup of the golf course rewards the person that's playing the best. I think that's the true sign of a great championship course, and think this week does that.
You're not going to get away with playing poorly and you're not going to get away with hitting it poorly all week. Everybody is going to go through a stretch of that and have to hold on, but I think as players that's what we want to see.
Be rewarded for your good shots and punished for your bad ones, and then have to figure it out from there. I think this golf course, with the test that it provides, is a great example of that.
Q. Welcome back. Good luck defending your title this year.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Thank you.
Q. I wanted to ask you, I think you had a bit of a bittersweet season. You've played some really solid golf, but in your own words you've had an issue closing out many tournaments, as recently as Dunhill. Do you think that's -- is it just a nature of pressure, the nature of golf? Is it a skill that you perhaps are looking to work on? How does it play in your mind since your win last year?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, I think for sure winning golf tournaments is kind of a habit really, and it would be a great habit to be into. This year it's funny really. This year I think throughout the middle part of the season, yeah, I was probably in contention more than I was last season at that point.
You know, and yeah, so things didn't materialize. But this year I definitely haven't felt like I lost tournaments or given them away. I just haven't sort of played the golf over 72 holes that would put me at the top of the leaderboard.
Yeah, there is positives I felt like in how I played and the positions that I put myself in throughout Saturdays and maybe nine holes into Sunday tournaments without any fireworks.
And then I think 2025 probably put myself in bad positions; gave a couple away leading up to having a great finish to the season where I had a couple wins.
Definitely if you win in a year, like this is it. Apart from -- there is a select few players in the world -- probably two players in the world, Rory and Scottie, where winning once isn't classed as a really good season in a way ap.
So I still have chances this season to feel like it's been really good year, which it has been a good year. You're always striving for more and looking for more wins.
Even last year with the FedExCup and then winning this tournament, felt like I could have won the last two events of the year. I was disappointed in those events in the summer.
So I think you're always left wanting something, but like the overall aspect of what you're trying to do week in and week out is just keep trying to get better and keep trying to get better.
You should never be -- you can be disappointed with end results, but you should never be disappointed with putting yourself in a position where everybody wants to be at the start of the week when you're playing on Sunday. So try and find the positives in that.
Q. You said something very interesting to me last year that I think this room will find fascinating. You compared Augusta and the Delhi Golf Club. Very different courses but the course only gives you -- let's you play shots that it gives you. I found that fascinating.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, yeah.
Q. Do you feel like this year round? Does that give you confidence? Does that make defending the title harder? How does that statement play this year round?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, I think it's a mindset. I just think it is -- I forgot what I had said when you started that. I do, again, agree with what I said last year. I just think it's a place where you can't force anything. As soon as you do, it might work once, but it's not going to work the whole time.
I think having that mindset of being really patient -- you know, we talk about the rough and the semi-rough and hitting into the greens. You are going to be times when you're six inches off the fairway and you can't control your golf ball and you have to figure it our. You are going to have times where it's just not going to go your way.
Again, you want be aggressive off the tee; is that the right play? You have got to stay disciplined in trying to put the ball in play because the (audio cut out.)
Yeah, for sure. I think that stands true. You can only hit the shots that the course gives you and try and be patient with that and do your best.
Q. Welcome back. Of course this time you were tied fourth at Royal Birkdale. What did you feel like? Did you feel some added pressure? Did you feel like a rock star as well?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, well -- (laughter.) It was a very special week. For sure, like you have -- for a tournament like that and to be in your hometown and to have the support like that, there is added pressure, but that's what you put on yourself. It's the expectation, how much you really want it.
Like playing in an Open Championship in your hometown is a dream come true for anybody, let alone thinking of winning the tournament. I found it the most -- I was so grateful for that week. I found it the most amazing week in how the support that I got -- like you say, it was like having your own concert. They were all amazing.
Leading up to the tournaments there is always that little bit of doubt where you're like, will people maybe not turn up and support me. That would be awful. But they were. They were so good. So good to me. I played some great golf, some of the best of the year. Essentially turning onto the back nine on Sunday I was within touching distance.
I was right there of achieving a dream that I had as a seven year old boy at that very golf course. I went home ten minutes down the road and started dreaming of that.
So moments like that are meaningful in your own personal journey. I'll always, again, look back at that. There will be disappointment because I didn't win and I came so close, but what an incredible week. Not everybody gets those moments and those experiences.
So very, very grateful, and we'll look back on when we're sat down over Christmas and you look back over 2026, that week in July, that Open Championship will stand very high and we'll talk about that with fond memories.
Q. You won this tournament last year. I wanted to know from your point of view when you're going into any tournament as the defending champion, do you feel that pressure of defending something or you feel at ease knowing you won here and you have that confidence with you?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, I would say your expectations being heightened is the biggest thing to battle. You played great the year before and you know you've won the tournament, so it's just managing how you feel and what you expect of yourself because you remember how well you played. You'll probably be seeing shots. It's great to see good shots, but you've got to accept the poor ones.
But, yeah, it's much better coming to a place where you have great feelings and great memories of some great golf shots and have that to go in your positive affirmations'.
That's really nice. And I think for every golfer when you stand on the first tee and get announced as the defending champion or the 2025 champion, I think that's really, really nice feeling. I'll look forward to that tomorrow and hopefully we can have another run at it.
Q. Tommy, one of the things the golfing world keeps looking forward to, keeps an eye on every Thursday of a golf tournament is ever since Tommy Fleetwood became a free clothing agent, what t-shirt is he going to wear? Have you already raided the DGC pro shop? Have you already got something lined up? What do you do with all these t-shirts?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I haven't dealt with all the t-shirts, but my wife keeps getting annoyed that we're losing room. I haven't been -- we were just talking about it on the putting green. We need to have a little roam in the pro shop and get ourself some Delhi Golf Club stuff.
Yeah, we'll see. We'll have a little trip in there and see what we come out with.
THE MODERATOR: All right. Thank you, Tommy, thank you everyone.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Thanks guys.
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