Fleetwood vows to keep chasing Open dream after 'special' Birkdale week

Tommy Fleetwood has said he will continue to chase his dream of winning The Open after a "special week" on home soil at Royal Birkdale ended with a share of fourth place.

The 35-year-old carded a final-round 68 to finish seven under, three shots behind the winner and level with world number one Scottie Scheffler. Fleetwood began the closing round five shots adrift of overnight leader Sam Burns.

What happened

Cheered by large crowds, Fleetwood made a fast start and briefly raised hopes of an emotional victory. He holed a 75-foot birdie putt on the first hole and added further gains at the fifth and eighth to move into contention.

The challenge unravelled around the turn, however. An overly aggressive approach from the fairway led to a bogey at the ninth, and he dropped further shots at the next two holes to fall out of the mix. He birdied the final two holes to close on seven under.

• Final round of 68, finishing seven under and three shots behind the winner
• Shared fourth place with world number one Scottie Scheffler
• Three straight bogeys from the ninth hole ended his title push
• Ninth top-10 finish in a major championship of his career
• Would have been the first English winner of the Claret Jug since Nick Faldo in 1992

Fleetwood described his walk down the 18th as emotional and said the reception from the galleries exceeded anything he had imagined. "My dream of winning The Open will carry on and I'll continue to chase it," he said, while admitting the ninth hole, where he hit his approach over the back of the green in gusty conditions, was a "terrible mistake".

What's next

Fleetwood's next attempt at the Claret Jug comes over the Old Course at St Andrews next year, with the Open returning to north-west England at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2028. He noted how fortunate he feels to have three Open venues on the rota so close to home, and said the week at Birkdale had set a standard he hopes to build on in future majors.