"You could see it in their faces and hear it in their voices. It was as common in little boys holding pin flags as it was in grown men holding beers. Even grandmums and little girls holding up handmade signs along the ropeline shared the sentiment. You could boil it down to a single sentence, maybe even a single word.
"C’mon.
"C’mon, Tommy Lad. Do it for all of us.
"He absolutely tried on Saturday. Tommy Fleetwood felt every ounce of the crowd’s energy in the third round of the 2026 Open Championship. Some players can block that stuff out, but he’s never been great at being a robot. He’s too human. He decided to lean into it. If he was going to win the Open — in his hometown, no less — he was going to do it his way. That meant being true to himself. So he gave out high fives and he tipped his hat after birdies and he smiled when grown men screamed they loved him. He’d been battling his swing, nerves, and adrenaline all week, so his confidence wasn’t where he’d hoped it might be. But somehow the people out there who wanted this for him, nearly as much as he wanted it for himself, made up the difference."
- @KVanValkenburg on Tommy Fleetwood
(Photo Courtesy: Tom Shaw/R&A)
NW Ireland, Day 1
The fifth hole at Strandhill is an acid trip.
(The second photo shows the view from the front of the tee. If you look closely, you can find the flag on the left edge of the frame.)