SOUTHPORT, England — As a kid growing up in Southport, long before he became a PGA Tour star, Tommy Fleetwood regarded Royal Birkdale Golf Club as virtually off limits.
Except for those rare occasions he sneaked on the grounds to hit some shots while accompanying his father on evening dog walks.
“Hallowed turf,” is how a young, wide-eyed Fleetwood viewed the course in this golf-crazed corner of northwestern England that, every few years, would welcome the world’s best players for the British Open.
His dream of making it there himself one day and lifting the claret jug — a scenario which, who knows, might just happen come Sunday evening on the 18th green at Royal Birkdale — began a 10-minute drive down the road in more humble environs.
Southport Municipal, a club that proudly labels itself as England’s oldest municipal links course, staged a junior program on Monday nights, and it was then and there where Fleetwood’s golfing journey launched at the age of 6.