Fleetwood driven on by home support as he takes share of British Open lead

Tommy Fleetwood rode a wave of home support to the top of the leaderboard in pursuit of a first major title in the 151st British Open Championship.

Roared on by a partisan crowd at Royal Liverpool, the 32-year-old from Southport carded an opening 66 to share the clubhouse lead with South African amateur Christo Lamprecht and Emiliano Grillo on five under par.

France’s Antoine Rozner and Spain’s Adrian Otaegui were a shot behind, with former champion Stewart Cink – who denied Tom Watson a fairytale victory at Turnberry in 2009 – on three under alongside US Open champion Wyndham Clark and Alex Noren.

66. Tommy Fleetwood's lowest first round at The Open. pic.twitter.com/B1PXCAEU3f

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 20, 2023

Fleetwood revelled in the support of the large galleries in what will be an emotional week, with Friday marking the first anniversary of the death of his mother Sue.

“It really was a great day,” Fleetwood said after a round containing six birdies and a solitary bogey.

“To get that support all day was amazing. If you’re not going to enjoy this atmosphere and these experiences then what’s the point? Make sure you have the time of your life out there.

“Being this close to home is the coolest thing and I’m so grateful to everyone that cheers me on. I am one of them, one of the guys that’s out there. I’m a fan of the game. I’m from this area. To feel that support, it means a lot.

“Of course throughout the day, you can easily put too much pressure on yourself. You can easily try too hard. But just having that support and people egging you on just pushes you on.”

Fleetwood has yet to register a win this season despite some excellent performances, including carding a 63 in the final round of the US Open for the second