As the British Open gets underway at Royal Birkdale, a significant number of the 21 English players in the field face a potential distraction: England's World Cup semifinal match against Argentina on Wednesday evening. The match, scheduled for 8 p.m. local time, has many players hoping for later tee times on Thursday to accommodate watching the game.
Tommy Fleetwood, who grew up near Royal Birkdale, acknowledged the possibility of winning the Open on Sunday, the same day England could play in the World Cup final if they defeat Argentina. "That would be a great day," Fleetwood stated. "I’d rather tee off late on Sunday [implying a position near the lead] for sure. I’ll start with that."
Fleetwood expressed support for the national team, noting their success in reaching the semifinals. "The lads have been doing great," he said. "It’s been great to watch. The World Cup’s not easy. For those guys, they definitely carry a nation on their shoulders a lot more than we do. They’ve been doing a great job, and it’s great to have them in the semifinals again. We’re a great team, so it’s great to watch and great to have that positive hope."
Other English golfers, including Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick, had also expressed hopes for later tee times. "I was kind of hoping for a later tee time," Rose commented. Fitzpatrick added, "If anyone’s listening, it would be nice if all the English lads were late-early," referring to Thursday and Friday tee times.
However, not all players got their wish. Rose is scheduled for a 9:36 a.m. tee time on Thursday, and Fleetwood at 10:09 a.m. Fitzpatrick, however, secured a 3:15 p.m. tee time.
Rose indicated he would watch the match while remaining focused on his own tournament. "Obviously, we’re going to be watching. But at the same time, I’m going to watch it with an eye on what’s important for me as well and not get too high and low and keep my own emotions in check. We’ve got big things as well to do this week, but at the same time it’s a match where if you think that you’re not going to watch it, you’re probably kidding yourself. I’ll be rooting the boys on, but at the same time, trying to make sure I’m able to sort of rest up pretty soon after the match."
The prospect of an English victory in both tournaments holds particular significance, as no Englishman has won the British Open on English soil since Tony Jacklin in 1969. Nick Faldo is the only other Englishman to have won the Open, with all three of his victories occurring in Scotland. England's sole World Cup title dates back to 1966.
Matt Wallace, another English player in the Open field, described the potential scenario as "mega."
In anticipation of a potential conflict, R&A chief executive Mark Darbon indicated that the final round of the Open could be moved to an earlier start time if England reaches the World Cup final, to avoid an overlap with the 8 p.m. local start time of the final match.