He is striding into The Masters 2025 as the best English golfer in the world – so is now the time for Tommy Fleetwood to finally lose the reputation of being one of golf’s ‘nearly men’?
The 34-year-old, who has been a mainstay among the top of the leaderboards in recent years, is among those being tipped to walk away with the Green Jacket at Augusta National this weekend.
Fleetwood, who comes into The Masters after winning a silver medal for Team GB at last summer’s Paris Olympics and securing the winning putt for Team Europe at the Ryder Cup in 2023, is the 12th best golfer in the world and the highest ranked Englishman.
The only British golfer ranked higher him is Northern Irish star Rory McIlroy (2) who is looking to finally land the only major title that has eluded him.
The two British stars were dubbed ‘Fleetwood Mac‘ when they helped propel Team Europe to Ryder Cup glory in 2023, but they will be rivals when they face off against each other at The Masters.
Southport-born Fleetwood is not only awaiting a first-ever major win, but he has never even won on the PGA Tour – a staggering stat for a talented golfer who joined the tour in 2018.
Always by his side to cheer him on through his highs and lows is his devoted wife Clare Craig, who has been his manager since 2015 and is 23 years his senior.
Ms Craig, 57, from Manchester, is said to have initially turned down Fleetwood amid concerns over their age gap, but the pair eventually started dating and tied the knot in front of 40 guests in the Bahamas in 2017.
Tommy Fleetwood has been tipped as the dark horse who could beat fellow Brit Rory McIlroy to Masters glory. The pair are seen celebrating Team Europe’s win in 2023
Tommy Fleetwood celebrates the winning putt for Team Europe at the Ryder Cup in 2023
Tommy Fleetwood with his family, Clare, Oscar, Murray and Franklin on the fifth hole during the Par Three Contest prior to the 2025 Masters. Oscar and Murray are from Clare’s previous marriage, but she had the youngest, Franklin, with Fleetwood
Southport-born Fleetwood is a huge Everton fan. He is pictured lifting the Ryder Cup at Goodison Park in December 2023
Much like her husband, Ms Craig has a passion for golf and met him when she worked as the vice-president of Hambric Europe, an organisation which represents pro golfers.
Speaking about their relationship, Fleetwood previously told The Telegraph: ‘It works very well. I do as I’m told when needed to.
‘When we started, we obviously never knew how it was going to go, and I think we were always open to the idea if it didn’t work then we’d try something else, but luckily for us, we get on so well.’
The golf-loving couple welcomed a baby boy, Franklin, in September 2017, just three months before their wedding.
Fleetwood withdrew from the British Masters so that he could be there for his wife after she gave birth.
Ms Craig also has two sons from a previous marriage, Oscar and Murray.
Adressing the age gap in an interview with The Times in 2023, Fleetwood quipped: ‘Oh, we definitely get comments. But it’s never been a thing to us. Clare actually looks very young for her age and I look old — it’s probably all that sun. She’s incredibly cool and I’m not cool at all, though I am quite mature for my age.’
Last month, Fleetwood’s near misses were thrown under the glaring spotlight as he became the first player to surpass $25million in prize money without ever lifting a trophy on the PGA Tour.
Prior to the disappointment of finishing joint 62nd at the Valero Texas Open last week, Fleetwood had finished no lower than 22nd in 15 worldwide starts – an impressive win that followed his Olympic glory in Paris.
Away from golf, Fleetwood is a huge Everton fan and was invited onto the Goodison Park pitch to lift the Ryder Cup trophy in December 2023.
Speaking with Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan on The Sports Podcast in January, Fleetwood joked how part of the club’s charm stems from its unpredictability.
He said: ‘Like, I love being Everton fan, because you just never know what’s going to happen. And it definitely prepares you for a lot of things in life.’
Perhaps its being an Everton fan that has prepared Fleetwood for the disappointment at never winning a major.
Tommy Fleetwood poses with his wife Clare Craig and their son Franklin after winning the Race to Dubai trophy in 2017 (left). They are pictured at an awards ceremony in 2018 (right)
Ms Craig, from Manchester, initially turned down Fleetwood over concerns over their age gap, but the pair eventually started dating and tied the knot in front of 40 guests in the Bahamas in 2017. They are pictured here together
Tommy Fleetwood and his son Franklin do the Spiderman pose with Spiderman actor Tom Holland
Fleetwood is big into his other sports and can be seen posing in front of a Red Bull car ahead of a Grand Prix
Tommy Fleetwood with his son Franklin during the Par Three contest ahead of The Masters
However, the chat among the golfing circles is that this could be the year for Fleetwood.
When asked to pick a potential surprise winner at Augusta this year, Butch Harmon, Fleetwood’s swing coach since 2023, told Sky Sports Golf Podcast: ‘For me, it’s Tommy Fleetwood.
‘And I don’t say that just because I coach him. I love his demeanour, I love the way he plays.
‘We know he strikes the ball beautifully. If he can have a good putting week, he could have a great chance.
‘He played well last year – tied for third – and the course suits him. He has the game to win here.’
Former golf star Paul McGinley, who is now a Sky Sports pundit, echoed similar sentiments ahead of The Players Championship last month, saying: ‘Tommy is so ready to break out and win one of these events.
‘A little bit of confidence is what’s needed from him.
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Tommy Fleetwood of England embrace on the 18th green as Fleetwood wins the Dubai Invitational at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club on January 14
Tommy Fleetwood and his family pose with the trophy after he won the Dubai Invitational at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club in January 2024
Tommy Fleetwood of Team Europe and teammate Rory McIlroy embrace during the Ryder Cup 2023
Fleetwood and McIlroy played together for Team Europe but will now be facing off against each other in The Masters
‘He has had an unbelievable run the last six or seven months, getting top-25s and top-10s. His game is really good. The undercurrent is very good when it comes to him.’
Fleetwood himself comes into The Masters in a good head space, telling the podcast: ‘You can’t really be complaining too much finishing where I’m finishing.
‘I’m really happy with the consistency that I’m showing at the moment. I just have to find that little bit more out of my game and my scoring to find myself in contention at the right time.’
Fleetwood will be joining golf’s biggest stars at Augusta National as The Masters 2025 gets underway today.
Defending champion and current world number one Scottie Scheffler is looking to become the first player since Tiger Woods to successfully defend his Augusta crown and claim his third Masters title in four years.
Woods will not be making an appearance in Augusta this year as the five-times Masters winner is recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon.
This year’s total purse is expected to be £15.5 million ($20m), the same as it was last year in 2024.
Meaning this year’s winner will pocket £2.8m ($3.6m), the runner-up will earn £1.67m ($2.16m) and the third place will receive a modest £1.05m ($1.36m).
