Tommy Fleetwood had a strong start at the Genesis Scottish Open Thursday, carding a 5-under 65 to sit toward the top of the leaderboard.
Ideal conditions at the Renaissance Club helped him out, but having his right-hand man back on the bag also contributed to his good score.
His long-time caddie, Ian Finnis, returned after an extended absence that saw him miss three of the four majors. He last looped for Fleetwood at The Players Championship in March.
Finnish underwent open heart surgery in April after getting hospitalized weeks before The Masters, per a Telegraph report from May.
“It feels nice to have had a really good round in his first week, for him more than anything,” Fleetwood said after his first round of the Scottish Open.
“It’s been great. Felt so normal. We did a great job. Everything sort of flowed, really. He made a couple of great decisions, so it’s not like he’s been away.”
Fleetwood hired Gray Moore, the former Caddie Master at Augusta National, for The Masters in April. The Englishman recorded his best finish there, a tie for third. In the subsequent weeks, he used David Clark, who now loops for Ian Poulter.
Fleetwood did not miss a cut with Clark on the bag, finishing no better than 13th while posting no worse than 49th—a solid stretch but certainly not his best. But he looked very comfortable with Finnis back on his bag on Thursday.
In their first round back together, Fleetwood recorded five birdies on the day and kept his scorecard clean. His first birdie came on the par-3 12th, his third hole of the day. But he then settled for eight straight pars before sinking another. Fleetwood then heated up on his back nine as the Ryder Cup veteran made four birdies over his final seven holes.
“I played very, very good. I think we had lovely conditions, like an almost really perfect amount of breeze to use when you wanted it,” Fleetwood said.
“I gave myself a lot of chances. Holed out really well. As always, you would like to hole one more, especially when hitting it beautifully. It was great to have Fino back and a lovely way to start a tournament.”
Perhaps with Finnis on the bag, Fleetwood’s strong play will continue, and the world could see him win his first PGA Tour event.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @golf_girl_sl.
