Tommy Fleetwood shows his class

Augusta, 08 April: Tommy Fleetwood struggled through the first two rounds of the Masters. The 2017 European Tour winner had to battle hard just to post an even score as he endured eight bogeys during the 36 hole stretch. On Saturday though, he was a man on fire on a cold day in Augusta.

Fleetwood produced spotless golf, till a late bogey at the 18th tarnished an otherwise spectacular card. The young Englishman produced five birdies on the run to soar up the order, before settling in T5 at 6-under 210. At 0500pm EDT, there were still plenty of golfers on their way in and the position could change at the end of the third round.

The stretch from the 12th saw Fleetwood go from 2-under to 7-under in the space of an hour. But he made a three-putt on the 18th hole to concede the only shot of the day.

So far this week, Fleetwood has drawn more attention for his bearded looks than his golf. But that changed in one swoop on Saturday, when he equalled his best ever performance in a major championship with an unexpected 66.

Fleetwood’s twitter timeline must be flooded with various comparisons to rock musicians, primarily because of his unkempt beard.

The 27-year-old made birdies at the 2nd and 9th on his way to a 34 on the front nine. That was enough to break inside the top twenty, but Fleetwood was far from done.

He went on a tear right in the middle of Amen Corner with a terrific birdie from 24 feet on the 12th green. At the 13th he landed his second on the green before taking a comfortable two-putt birdie.

At the 14th, he nailed his approach so well, he only needed to tap in for a third birdie on the run. He did an encore on the 15th when he landed his second right in the line of the flag, before taking another comfortable birdie.

“The course was playing a lot easier. The greens were soft. If you’re going to shoot a good score, todays the day,” said Fleetwood.
“It is weird walking off disappointed shooting a 66. I didn’t hole anything on the front but it was a night to get something going.

“Today was about doing the best I could. It’s my first weekend ever at Augusta but I wasn’t thinking about the lead. It was nice playing the last few holes with a bit of adrenaline.”

The effort on Saturday gives Fleetwood a legitimate, if long shot, opportunity to chase the leaders and an increasingly promising Sunday here at Augusta National.