“It is an amazing landscape” - Tommy Fleetwood backs the plan of transforming Hulton Park into a Ryder Cup-worthy golf course
English golfer Tommy Fleetwood has been appointed as the ambassador for the Hulton Park project in Bolton, Greater Manchester. Hulton Park is currently under construction and aims to host the Ryder Cup in 2035.
This year's Ryder Cup took place at the Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome, Italy. Fleetwood made the decisive putt on the 16th hole of his singles match to secure victory for the European team.
On Tuesday, October 3, Fleetwood announced on Instagram that he was endorsing Hulton Park. The venue, near Bolton, is just 30 miles away from Southport, the golfer's birthplace.
He wrote:
"I’ve studied the proposals for Hulton closely and seen the site for myself – it is an amazing landscape and the prospect of a purpose-built stadium course here would be fantastic for everyone concerned – for golf, for the tournament and for the game in England.
"But perhaps more importantly, I love what this proposal offers to my corner of the country. I can see that it would inspire more people in the North West to take up the game and for those who don’t play golf."
He added that the project will bring investment, jobs, and tourism to the region and will also create a huge new green space for the community.
Earlier this year, the site's plan was canceled by Bolton Council, which rejected the site’s plans in February. However, later, a public inquiry gave the verdict that it shouldn't have been declined. Hulton Park, Luton Hoo in Bedfordshire, and The London Club in Kent are also bidding to host the Ryder Cup in 2031 and 2035.
England hasn't hosted the biennial event since the Belfry near Birmingham hosted it in 2002. Since then, the event has taken place in Ireland, Wales, Scotland, France, and now Italy.
Speaking to Bunkered, Fleetwood expressed that he would like to become a Ryder Cup captain one day and couldn't think of a better place to play than in the northwest.
He was quoted as saying by Bunkered:
"It’s a long way away to play in a Ryder Cup in the northwest. I mean, [it would be] amazing to captain a Ryder Cup in the northwest, it would be amazing, so just any role that I can play in that.
"Being a part of that bid, supporting the area, being a boy from the north-west of England and everything that we believe that it can bring, it’s very, very special to me."
How did Tommy Fleetwood perform in the 2022–23 season?
Here's a look at Tommy Fleetwood's performances in the 2022–23 PGA Tour season:
- Zozo Championship: T53
- The CJ Cup in South Carolina: T4
- WM Phoenix Open: CUT
- The Genesis Invitational: T20
- Arnold Palmer Invitational: T61
- The Players Championship: T27
- Valspar Championship: T3
- World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play: T52
- Masters Tournament: 33
- RBC Heritage: T15
- Wells Fargo Championship: T5
- PGA Championship: T18
- Charles Schwab Challenge: CUT
- RBC Canadian Open: P2
- U.S. Open: T5
- Travelers Championship: CUT
- Genesis Scottish Open: T6
- The Open Championship: T10
- FedEx St. Jude Championship: T3
- BMW Championship: T25
- TOUR Championship **: T6
- Ryder Cup: 1