European Tour star and Ryder Cup hero Tommy Fleetwood is delighted to be back at Sun City as he prepares to challenge for the Nedbank Golf Challenge title.
Your thoughts on being back in Sun City?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: It’s nice to be back. Really nice to be back. I missed last year, the way scheduling worked out. Coming back, played it a few years now, and got such a great atmosphere, such a big event, it always has been. It continues to get bigger, really, and in terms of how important it is to the season everything and, coming down to the final couple of events, it’s special.
How much do you know about the history and how much have you followed it over the years? Did you follow the event when it was still a limited field? What do you remember of the early days?
Yeah, of course, it was always one that I watched on TV. I have massive memories of people teeing off, first when it was 12, and 9 always looked like such an easy shot when they would knock it on to the middle of the green. I think my first two or three years playing here, it was a 24-man or 30-man field, and now we’ve got more.
But everybody knows the event and that’s when it was the Million Dollar, and I’ve always, always enjoyed watching it.
Talk about coming here, as well, Sun City, the resort, how they look after and you what it’s like being here and how tough can the distractions be to put aside and focus on the golf?
I just think everybody loves it. Everybody enjoys coming here. Everybody has a smile on their face no matter where they are. I think it’s great because you come out and play and it’s one of the biggest events for sure and you have plenty of stuff to take your mind off the golf, whether it’s going well or it’s going bad. You have plenty of stuff to do from wherever you eat to any kind of – the water park or anything that’s going on. I just think it’s great that you have that many things to do and take your mind off it.
How do you feel about your game heading into this week?
Feels good. Feel like I’m swinging it better now. Sort of had a disappointing time in Asia where I didn’t feel like I played very well and didn’t perform how I expect myself to perform.
A big push now for the last couple of events but feel like I did a lot of the work last week and swinging it well. Love the golf course. Now just a case of trying to make it count.
How much does it help knowing the course better than most people? Is it a big advantage, the experience?
I hope so. It can only help. Like it really can, and there’s so many – there’s things that happen and things that you have to accept out here. You need to understand what is a good golf shot and you need to understand that, you know, where you can attack the course at certain points, which isn’t very often to be fair, and obviously just course knowledge and just being comfortable and knowing your way around, should alwaysm always help. It doesn’t always follow but it can only be a help, not a hindrance.
Have you had a look at the course? Is it playing different? Guys are saying the rough is not as penal as previous years.
I played nine holes yesterday, and the greens are definitely softer, and the greens are the best I’ve ever seen them. They really are the best I’ve ever seen the greens.
Depends on the wind and depends on sort of how blowy it gets or how strong – the wind can gust at certain times, but it’s still a test, whether the rough is up or not, the course is still a test and you have to deal with a lot of different situations.
The course itself, I think is in great condition. I know the rough is not up, but that to me, doesn’t make that much difference.
What do you need to do well to come out on top? What’s main thing, the key for you?
I think you can’t do any good if you miss the fairways. You have to drive it well and hit a lot of greens. You don’t have to be aggressive. There are times when you can be, but in general, the greens aren’t massive. So you don’t have to be going all guns blazing, firing at pins.
Strike it well, be sensible and try and pick the course off that way and be patient. You’re going to make bogeys and things are going to happen and be patient and keep going.
It’s the 40th anniversary of this golf course. Does it impress you that it hasn’t had to change over the years?
I think that’s the sign of a great course. Some courses just don’t have to change. Some of my favourite courses like this one, and Hong Kong one of my favourite courses, doesn’t have to change to keep scoring down.
You know, there’s always times when you’re going to have to lengthen certain holes, but I just think that it’s paramount to strike the ball well and if you don’t, you can’t score and I just think that’s what makes a good golf course.
