Tommy Fleetwood came last in his first golf tournament at the age of seven. This week he's competing for the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale, the course closest to where that journey started. It's a journey his coach is now putting into perspective.

The 35-year-old is competing in the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England. His former coach, Norman Marshall, the 57-year-old, has spoken to the BBC about watching Fleetwood grow from a seven-year-old who finished last to one of Europe's most decorated golfers.

"He was crushed," Marshall said. "He was actually playing in the much, much older field off tees that were really, really far back. So, it wasn't an abysmal performance. It was just a competition geared for teenagers, and he was only young. But the deciding factor was that he was back the next week, so he had that resilience and determination."

Marshall began coaching Fleetwood at Formby Hall in Formby, Merseyside, when Fleetwood was six years old. But even then, Marshall knew Fleetwood had potential.

"When I realised how much he loved golf, that's the differentiating factor," he said. "The amount of practice he did in winter showed that obsession. So in summer he'd be playing a lot, but in winter he was at the golf range, all the time, any weather. You just couldn't stop him."

By the age of eight, Fleetwood could compete with the best junior golfers. Marshall said he was quiet but confident. He also described him as calm, steady, and mature.

He is ranked ninth in the world and has won 11 professional titles. In 2025, he won the FedEx Cup and earned his first PGA Tour victory. He has also finished runner-up in two majors: the 2018 U.S. Open and the 2019 Open Championship. But Fleetwood hasn't just been focusing on his own success. He's creating golfers of the future.

Together, Marshall and Fleetwood have run the Tommy Fleetwood Academy together. Marshall said seeing Fleetwood win at Royal Birkdale would be the biggest moment of his coaching career.

Tommy Fleetwood's former drama teacher also has a message for him this week

The coach wasn't the only one watching from Southport. Erica May, the 63-year-old, taught Fleetwood drama at Scarisbrick Hall School in Lancashire when he was 14.

She remembered him telling her he didn't do homework. When she asked what he did instead, his answer was one word: golf.

"It's a bit embarrassing really thinking back to it now," May said, "but I said, well, that's all very nice, Tommy, but if the golf thing doesn't work out for you, you still need to do other studies anyway."

May said Fleetwood had enough talent to pursue acting. He chose golf instead. "I think the fact that he chose to pursue the golf line is golf's gain and acting's loss," she said.

Scarisbrick Hall School released a statement wishing him luck as he competes for the Claret Jug on home soil.

Do you think Tommy Fleetwood can win The Open on home soil this week? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar