Tommy Fleetwood made the long trek back to Europe this week and it looked like he needed some time off Thursday at the BMW International.
There was no rest for the man who was looking at an eight-foot putt for golf history last Sunday. He’s back in action at the Golf Club Gut Laerchenhof, which sounds very much like a German craft beer — how about a Gut Laerchenhof?
Anyway, Tommy walked into difficult conditions in the first round and wound up with a two-over par 74 that left him in an unimpressive tie for 55th.
One man who is getting some rest is Fleetwood’s caddie — Ian Finnis. Fleetwood has his father on the bag this week and maybe that’s another reason for his over-par performance.
Fleetwood’s day saw him make four birdies but those were offset by four bogeys and a double.
Europe’s No. 1 player who is now 10th in the world rankings, found himself a half-dozen shots behind the leader — Frenchman Sebastien Gros. Gros’ 68 was remarkable given the high winds and testy rough.
“Today was very special because the conditions were quite brutal,” Gros said. “There was a lot of wind, sometimes a three-club wind.”
Chase Koepka, who was on hand last Sunday to see his brother Brooks win the U.S. Open, was back in action and he struggled as well, finishing the day with 75.
