It was a Ryder Cup date night Tuesday for Team Europe’s Tommy Fleetwood and his wife, Clare.
The longtime couple took in the Ryder Cup welcome dinner at Hempstead House in Sands Point, N.Y., with fellow golfers and their significant others to open this year’s international clash.
Tuesday’s appearance from Clare, 57, comes weeks after Fleetwood, 34, revealed the heartbreaking reason why she missed his first-ever PGA Tour win at the Tour Championship in late August.
“Our middle boy, Mo [Murray], had a spinal operation just over a month ago now. So they were unable to travel,” Fleetwood said of Clare and stepson Murray at the BMW PGA Championship earlier this month.
“Actually, the week of Memphis, they were in the hospital and he was recovering, and then eventually got home just before we got home. He had three and a half weeks in the hospital, so that’s why they weren’t there, but Oscar came out to be with me.”
Fleetwood was overcome with emotion last month after his first PGA Tour triumph on his 164th try, defeating Americans Patrick Cantlay and Russell Henley by three strokes to secure the $10 million FedEx Cup win.
He was joined by stepson Oscar in the jubilant scene.
The Englishman, who has been married to Clare since 2017, is making his fourth Ryder Cup appearance this year. He was an automatic qualifier for Team Europe.
With the Ryder Cup returning to the U.S. this year after the 2023 competition in Rome, Fleetwood — currently ranked No. 7 in the world — is ready to embrace the boisterous crowd.
“To engage with them here is really important. It’s great. It’s great to soak up that atmosphere, whether it’s home or away. Like I say, they were all amazing yesterday,” Fleetwood said Wednesday, according to The Mirror.
“I loved interacting with them. I loved signing stuff, seeing the kids and all of that. I thought that was great.”
The morning foursome matches begin Friday at 7:10 a.m., followed by the four-ball matches at 12:25 p.m.
Singles matches get underway Sunday at noon.
Team Europe is the reigning champion.