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The Open star Tommy Fleetwood opens up on having to 'console his son'

Tommy Fleetwood had to console his disappointed son in the build-up to playing at The Open, as he geared up to vie for the first major championship of his career

[Tommy Fleetwood during a media conference]

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Tommy Fleetwood spent Wednesday evening consoling his son after England's defeat to Argentina(Image: Tom Shaw/R&A, R&A via Getty Images)

Tommy Fleetwood endured a heart-breaking evening consoling his son on the eve of his appearance at The Open, after England were knocked out of the World Cup by Argentina.

The Three Lions crashed out of the tournament in cruel fashion, with Lautaro Martinez's stoppage time header making the difference after goals from Anthony Gordon and Enzo Fernandez.

That defeat ultimately saw an additional burden placed upon Fleetwood, who had been watching the match at home with his son. In the aftermath, he also found himself offering some reassurance to his youngster after a disappointing evening of football.

Reflecting on his preparations ahead of Thursday's opening round, Fleetwood said: "Well, I was watching the football. I was trying to console my son.

"Yeah, that was a shame. The football was great to have as something else to think about and watch that."

As a result of the loss, England will now take on France in a third-place play-off match in Miami on Saturday evening, while Spain will go on to battle Argentina in the World Cup final.

Fleetwood will be hoping for more success this weekend at Royal Birkdale. The 35-year-old heads into the competition as somewhat of a hometown hero, considering he was born in Southport.

[Tommy Fleetwood hugs his son]

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Tommy Fleetwood watched the England vs Argentina game with his son(Image: Jason Butler, Getty Images)

Thousands of supporters followed Fleetwood throughout his first round on Thursday, in which, he posted a solid one-under par. He was also met with thunderous applause at every twist and turn of the course.

At the par-four fifth, Fleetwood chose to take on the green while his playing partners, Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm, opted to lay up. His bold approach left him in the greenside bunker, but a deft escape from the sand set up a birdie opportunity which he duly converted, drawing the loudest roar of the day.

Fleetwood is among the frontrunners to lift the Claret Jug, and has received a notable endorsement from Rory McIlroy himself. That's despite having not won a major championship to date, and only securing his first win on the PGA Tour last season.

However, he did hit a rough patch around the turn on Thursday, dropping shots on both the 10th and 12th to slip back to over-par. Inspired by his devoted following, Fleetwood dug deep and bounced back with birdies on 15 and 17 to return to one-under exactly where he finished.

There had been speculation that the weight of emotion surrounding the occasion might work against Fleetwood. However, he was quick to dismiss such thoughts.

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He explained: "No, I felt fine. Whenever there's a major, there's always anticipation anyway, and then to say that this one wouldn't have extra meaning would be silly because obviously it does.

"But no, I was fine. Once I got going into the round - like I said, I would have loved to have felt a little bit more comfortable with my swing.

"I was battling something there. But I loved playing out there."

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