Last weekend, Tommy Fleetwood narrowly missed out on winning the Abu Dhabi Championship after losing a playoff to fellow countryman Aaron Rai.
Just before the playoff, the Sky Sports UK broadcast team called out Fleetwood for making his opponent wait on the tee, with former European Tour member Andrew Coltart saying:
“This is what I don’t like. 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.”
Coltart’s co-commentator, David Howell agreed saying: “I know what you mean, the right thing to do would be to arrive together.” While on-course commentator Wayne Riley weighed in, saying:
“Tommy is just slowing it all down, a little gamesmanship, clever. Making him wait, stew.”
Ahead of this week’s DP World Tour Championship, Fleetwood was today asked if he was surprised to be accused of gamesmanship last week, and responded saying:
“I did see the comments, actually, just before. 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.
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.
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. 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.”
The 34-year-old added:
“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 Miguel, “Can I please go to the toilet?” He said yes. I ran to the toilet; ran to the tee.”
Fleetwood is the second favorite to win this week in Dubai with Rory McIlroy currently the oddsmakers chocie.
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