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Tommy Fleetwood on those Paul Azinger comments, that viral video with Francesco Molinari, and quarantine hair

April 27, 2020
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David Cannon

It's hard to believe that not even two months ago the most talked-about issue in golf was something as silly as an announcer's comment. Granted, Paul Azinger had seemed a bit condescending when discussing Tommy Fleetwood's European Tour exploits, but with all that's happened in the world since—and all that hasn't while many things including professional golf tours have been put on pause—those words don't seem at all important anymore. And it turns out Tommy Fleetwood himself never made a big deal about them.

Considering the vitriol aimed at Azinger from Golf Twitter during that Sunday at PGA National, golf fans might be surprised to hear Fleetwood's reaction when informed of the NBC analyst's opinion. Then again, maybe they won't considering Fleetwood's reputation as one of the game's most positive—and popular among his peers—players.

"I don't think he meant any malice by it, but the last thing you want is a bit more pressure put on you from broadcasters or commentators or outside influences," Fleetwood said. "But I'm sure he didn't mean it in the way he did, say it."

Regardless, Fleetwood's full and well-thought response to those comments and the story about how he heard about them from Rory McIlroy the day after his close call at the Honda Classic are worth hearing. And the current 10th-ranked player in the world shared both on this week's Golf Digest Podcast.

We also talked to Tommy (interview starts at the 31:50 mark) about that viral video he filmed with Francesco Molinari in the wee hours of the night following Europe's 2018 Ryder Cup victory and his breathtaking 63 at Shinnecock Hills on Sunday at the 2018 U.S. Open. Fleetwood also shared how he feels about a potential June PGA Tour restart and how he's maintaining his famed luscious locks during quarantine.

Plus, Sam Weinman and Daniel Rapaport joined me to discuss the do's and don'ts of playing golf in these scary times, a past PGA Tour winner turned ringer on the mini-tours, and why "The Match" Part II will be better than the original. Please have a listen: