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Six years after his runner-up finish at Royal Portrush, Tommy Fleetwood returns to the Northern Irish coast for another shot at Open glory
Six years ago, Tommy Fleetwood walked up the 18th fairway on Sunday afternoon of The 148th Open at Royal Portrush, finishing in the closest position he has ever been to hoisting the Claret Jug. He’d gone toe-to-toe with Shane Lowry in the final group — but it wasn’t to be for the Englishman.
Now, The Open is heading back to the Northern Irish coast, and Fleetwood returns with both the memories and motivation to perhaps have one more chance at golf’s grandest prize.
“It means a lot,” Fleetwood says, reflecting on that Sunday in 2019. “It’s mad to think that was six years ago now.
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“I think it’s easy to look back at coming so close, but of course it didn’t quite happen. That was Shane’s week 100%.”
He isn’t wrong. Lowry’s fairytale win in front of a roaring home crowd has become part of Open folklore. But Tommy’s performance — and the charm with which he handled the disappointment — has left its own lasting impression.
“The best consolation is how well Shane did and played,” Tommy said at the time. “It hurts… but I finished six shots back and it feels closer. It was Shane’s time, Shane’s week. Fair play.
“I played well early on, but the margins… the putts on one, two, and three, I scrambled a bit, and missed a short one on 10. It was nice to still be in The Open with six or seven holes to go,” he said after the round. “But the mountain was too high to climb.”
Tommy Fleetwood. Image by David Cannon/Getty Images
Fleetwood’s solo second-place finish remains his best result at The Open.
“I had such a special time there,” he says. “I still look at that Open at Portrush and remember playing in the final group on Sunday and being that close to achieving a lifelong dream.”
“I look at it with so many fond memories… you have to take all the positives from what happened then, and take them into now and be prepared for it and look forward to it.”
Fleetwood has come a long way since that week. Three further wins on the DP World Tour has taken his total to seven, a second Ryder Cup victory, a silver medal in the Olympics at Paris 2024 and now a DP World Global Ambassador, plus he’s also put down roots in Dubai with his family — where he set up the Tommy Fleetwood Academy at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
Tommy is one of golf’s ‘good guys’ and a fan favourite for many, but that major moment — and a Claret Jug — remains a glaring omission from an otherwise stellar résumé for himself.
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This summer’s return to Royal Portrush is shaping up to be historic. The 153rd Open, running from 13–20 July, will welcome a record-breaking 278,000 fans — the largest Open ever staged outside of St Andrews. Demand was so high that over one million ticket applications were submitted in the ballot last year.
In addition, it will be the biggest sporting event Northern Ireland has ever hosted, with an estimated £213 million economic impact, according to research from Sheffield Hallam University’s Sport Industry Research Centre.
For Fleetwood, with a familiar course and a crowd he knows will be electric, it’s an opportunity he is relishing.
“I think the crowds are going to be amazing,” he says. “It’s an amazing golf course and an amazing tournament. So I’m very excited.”
As The Open Championship returns to Royal Portrush, Tommy Fleetwood knows his opportunity is there.
Main Image: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
This article was featured in the July 2025 issue of Golf Digest Middle East. Click here for a digital issue of the full magazine
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