Tommy Fleetwood says his love for Everton Football Club has shaped him both on and off the golf course. The English golfer opened up about his passion for the Premier League side during a guest appearance on the Men in Blazers podcast with Roger Bennett.

Tommy Fleetwood called his connection with Everton “a deep-rooted love” and spoke about the positivity that comes with being a fan.

“We’ll just credit being an Everton fan for so many things. It’s a deep rooted love. Do you know what I actually really love about being an Everton? I just love the optimism that comes with being an Everton fan week in, week out. I love that. We’re always just ready for great times,” he said. (via Mirror)

When asked whether he expects to win the Masters before Everton wins the Premier League, Fleetwood said:

“Well the Masters is in April, so hopefully me. Tell you what, let’s both do it in the same year and then that will be perfect!”

Tommy Fleetwood often connects big golf moments with Everton’s milestones. His first PGA Tour win came on the same day Everton won at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium. He also remembers fans sending him live score updates during the final round of the 2022 U.S. PGA, when Frank Lampard’s team came back from 0-2 down against Crystal Palace to avoid relegation.

Fleetwood’s admiration for the club extends to its players as well. His favourite Everton player is Francis Jeffers while his father Pete’s close friend is former midfielder Graham Stuart.

Tommy Fleetwood credits Everton for teaching him patience and resilience

Tommy Fleetwood finally won his first PGA Tour title in August, after 164 attempts. He claimed the $10 million FedEx Cup and later finished as Europe’s top points scorer in their Ryder Cup victory.

The 34-year-old credits his long-time support for Everton for helping him stay calm and positive through setbacks. Born in 1991, Tommy Fleetwood has never seen Everton win a major trophy, but he says being a fan taught him to accept the tough times and enjoy the good ones.

“You’re definitely more accepting… My two oldest boys are City fans… You should see them trying to accept Man City only drawing a match. They can’t handle it. They’ve not quite managed to have the same upbringing as me in the same mentality where you accept whatever happens and you enjoy the good stuff.

“It’s like whatever happens, there’s no point in having a negative effect on what happens next. And that’s the same in football. Like you can’t do anything about the match that you’ve just lost or whatever’s happened or the match that you’ve just, you know, somebody scored in the 96th minute, a draw or whatever it may be, you can’t do anything about it. You can just look for the positive experience in it to help you win the next game.”

Fleetwood came close several times before finally breaking through. This season, he played 10 events, winning the TOUR Championship. He also finished tied for second at the Travelers Championship and had multiple top-10 finishes before finally capturing a win. Overall, he has eight top-10s and 15 top-25 finishes this year.