Tommy Fleetwood insists an Olympic gold medal at Paris 2024 would be up there alongside anything he has achieved in golf as he prepares to kick off his campaign at the ‘most amazing event in the world.’
The British star, who represented Team GB in Tokyo three years ago, returns to Le Golf National hoping to channel the spirit of Europe’s memorable Ryder Cup triumph at the venue back in 2018.
He will be accompanied by British teammate Matt Fitzpatrick as the world’s leading stars descend on Paris for an event often considered subordinate to the sport’s majors on the jam-packed golfing calendar.
But Fleetwood, 33, believes times are changing and after Team GB’s Justin Rose and recently-crowned Open champion Xander Schauffele grabbed glory in Rio – the first time the sport was included at the Games since 1904 – and Tokyo, the next generation should aspire to follow in those medal-winning footsteps.
Fleetwood generation
The Southport star, who tied for 16th in Japan as Schauffele, Slovakian Rory Sabbatini and Chinese Taipei’s Pan Cheng-tsung filled the podium places, is firmly fired up for a sporting spectacle he adores and hopes its status will soon be propelled into the pantheon alongside The Open and The Masters.
“My generation upwards never had the Olympics as something that we would ever dream of winning,” said the seven-time European Tour winner, who will duel it out against Rory McIlroy, who is representing Ireland, United States’ Scottie Scheffler and Spain’s Jon Rahm as the golf gets underway today.
“For us, with it not being an Olympic sport for the majority of our childhood, that’s something we would never aim for, so I think it would only be natural for us to not necessarily hold it on a pedestal just while it’s started.
“But I think the Olympics for me is sport in its purest form – it’s the most amazing event in the world.
“The last two gold medal winners in Justin and Xander were fantastic for the game – I’m pretty sure kids will start growing up dreaming a bit.
“If I was to win a gold medal, it would go there alongside any other achievement I’ve ever had.
“It really is special, and it is the most special sporting event in the world.
“For us, we just didn’t grow up with that, but I’m sure kids will from now on and it will be very high.”