Tommy Fleetwood spotted at LIV Las Vegas working alongside Butch Harmon - Reports
Let the Tommy Fleetwood to LIV Golf rumors begin. The English golfer was reportedly spotted at their event for this weekend. LIV is in Las Vegas for the second event of the young season, and Fleetwood was seemingly on the grounds chatting it up and working with Butch Harmon.
The second bit of news is pretty significant as well. Not only was Fleetwood reportedly seen at a LIV venue, but he was also apparently working with one of the most legendary golf instructors of all time.
Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler, Davis Love III, Fred Couples and a handful of other stars have partnered with Harmon, so it's a big deal if he teaches anyone anything right now.
It is also a big deal to see the Englishman on the course at a LIV event. They've been hitting up European talent to defect a lot recently, with Jon Rahm, Tyrell Hatton and Adrian Meronk recently moving over.
There had previously been no rumors surrounding Fleetwood to LIV, but this development will likely get them started. It should be noted that the Super Bowl, perhaps the biggest sporting event in the world, is in Vegas as well, so Fleetwood could just be catching some action while in town.
Furthermore, he likely has friends on the tour. The divide in the golf world with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour on one side and LIV Golf on the other has lessened recently, and it's not as damaging to one's reputation to be on LIV, so visiting them wouldn't ruffle any feathers.
Tommy Fleetwood recently addressed LIV rumors
Some time back, both Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrell Hatton addressed the rampant rumors that they were both heading to LIV Golf. They both said the claims weren't true and that, at least then, they weren't leaving.
So far, that's proven to be true for only one. Fleetwood said via Sports Illustrated:
"I think it comes at a time of year where there are always rumors flying around. It’s nothing, really. There’s nothing going on. I’ve been playing here for the last two years and I’m still playing here now. I’m pretty boring news-wise, so that’s just what it is."
He did say that there had been some discussion, but it never went anywhere:
“But I think people have been getting approached for a long, long time. So I don’t think it’s flash news that people are still getting approached by LIV. Some people will go and some people won’t. And then at some point we’ll either all play together or we won’t. Like everybody else, I’ll wait to find out."
Fleetwood, much like the rest of the golfing world, is seemingly waiting for the merger and investments to die down. It's unclear what the future of golf looks like now with the Strategic Sports Group's investment into the PGA Tour and the PIF merger being scrutinized by the US Senate.
Fleetwood is looking forward to when things become clear, and for now, he's not defecting. However, his reported presence at an LIV event certainly begs some questions.