Southport’s Tommy Fleetwood pleased with US PGA Championship first round: It was brutal out there

11th August 2017
Tommy Fleetwood - Getty images

Southport’s Tommy Fleetwood pleased with US PGA Championship first round: It was brutal out there

TOMMY FLEETWOOD battled through “brutal” conditions to fire a one under par 70 in the first round of the US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in North Carolina yesterday.

US Open 2017: Southport’s Tommy Fleetwood one off Brian Harman’s lead at Erin Hills

He was a shot behind fellow Brit Paul Casey and three behind early clubhouse leader Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark.

After finishing fourth in the US Open, Tommy Fleetwood  was one of the favourites for the Open at Royal Birkdale, just a few miles from his home town of Southport, but only finished in a tie of 27th place.

But after carding three birdies and two bogeys yesterday, he said: “I’m very happy. The course is brutal, really. Anything par or beating the course is a great score.

“The course is quite long and then the greens are firm and quite slopey. There’s no let-up, really. It’s just five hours of real tough golf.”

A late rally kept Open winner Jordan Spieth on course to become to become the youngest player after Tiger Woods to complete a career grand slam.