Tommy Fleetwood is known as one of the nicest, humblest players in golf. Yet, he has found himself in some hot water.
All because he needed to use the bathroom.
Sunday at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Fleetwood fell into a playoff against Aaron Rai (the eventual champion). And once they signed their scorecards after the 72nd hole, Rai headed out to the tee box for the playoff, but Fleetwood was nowhere to be found.
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“This is what I don’t like,” Sky Sports commentator Andrew Coltart said on the broadcast. “To me, they’ve both got to arrive at the tee at the same time. I don’t like that. That gives the person who arrives on the tee last an advantage.”
On Tuesday, in a press conference ahead of the season-ending DP World Tour championship, Fleetwood admitted he was aware of Colhart’s comments.
“It’s one of those things, I don’t know—look, you don’t know in what context it was said. I didn’t hear it. I read it,” the 34-year-old Englishman said. “Either way, if there’s a certain side of journalism where, you know, it’s conveyed—I feel like it’s disappointing, and you know, not even to, Andrew, I think very highly of him. I think he’s an amazing—I’ve read one little piece and I’m not saying—whether the article was written that way. I’m not going to accuse anybody of meaning anything by it.”
So why was Fleetwood delayed to the tee box?
“I’m just saying from my point of view, I had just played with Aaron for 36 holes, we are unbelievably close and unbelievably supportive in each other in our careers,” Fleetwood said. “I was desperate for the toilet, and then as soon as I was finished, I ran to the tee and that was how it happened.
“So yeah, you know, I think everybody knows that I—or I would hope that everybody knows that I wouldn’t do anything like that, and I think the world of Aaron, as well.
“So no, I don’t know how it was written. It’s hard to comment on something or defend yourself on something that you to the extent know in what form it was said or written.
“But like I said, that’s what happened. We walked off the 18th and I was desperate to go to the toilet. I said to [tournament director Miguel Viador] ‘Can I please go to the toilet?’ He said, ‘yes.’ I ran to the toilet; ran to the tee.”
When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go.
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