Tommy Fleetwood’s wife made opinion clear in crunch family talks about LIV Golf

Tommy Fleetwood’s wife made opinion clear in crunch family talks about LIV Golf

Tommy Fleetwood rejected a contract offer from LIV Golf earlier this year, with other half Clare making sure to ask the important questions before he made his mind up

 

Tommy Fleetwood consulted his manager-turned-wife Clare when weighing up the decision to join LIV Golf.

 

The 33-year-old, who claimed silver for Team GB at the Paris Olympics over the weekend, is one of those who has stayed loyal to the PGA Tour since the Saudi-backed LIV came to fruition in 2022. Their major-money contracts have attracted countless golfers.

 

But Fleetwood revealed earlier this year that he’d turned down an offer from them to join their third season. For him and Clare, who is 23 years older than her husband, the increased salary didn’t provide any added motivation to accept.

 

Speaking on the Performance People podcast last year, Fleetwood said: “Most people – most sportsmen really, don’t actually do it for the money. I never really played for the money. I can look at what I’ve earned at any given time on any week.

 

But really it’s much more about myself, satisfaction and how I perform, can I win the tournaments? That (money) didn’t come into the equation for me but definitely for some people, and you can see how appealing it is. For sure, there’s a lot to be said.

 

“Play poorly and I’ll get paid, that would be great. But I also think that’s where for me, I would turn to Clare – and we did at the time, that’s the kind of thing you talk about, because it’s not just you that’s involved in it.

 

It’s my passion obviously, but you have a family as well and there’s a lot more decisions that go into it. But ultimately, Clare always says to me ‘it’s what makes you happy and it’s what you feel is best for you’. That was pretty much it wasn’t it? You said ‘will it actually make any difference, is it going to change your life?'”

 

“It won’t change our life,” Clare added, while Fleetwood continued: “And it doesn’t really. Everything that I do is to play as well as I can and get the most out of myself as a golfer, as a sportsman and as an athlete.

 

“And that’s all I’ve ever thought about. Whether that’s playing where I am now or playing somewhere else, I would make a decision based on that and not on the money.”

 

World No. 11 Fleetwood has been vindicated his by runner-up finish at the Games, which he may not have qualified for had he joined LIV. Their events don’t count towards the Official World Golf Ranking, which determines who represents their country.

 

He was supported in France by Clare, 56, who became his manager when he joined Hambric Sports Management in 2015 before they struck up a personal relationship too. Despite initially rejecting Fleetwood’s advances, they wed two years later after giving birth

to their son Franklin.