TOMMY FLEETWOOD'S £120,000 OPEN PRIZE SENT TO WRONG PERSON IN 2018

Tommy Fleetwood did not receive £120,000 in prize money from The Open in 2018 after the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) transferred the funds to a different person with the same name. Fleetwood had tied for 12th place at Carnoustie that year. The money was sent to an American golf enthusiast named Thomas Fleetwood instead. The American recipient later explained to Reuters that the DP World Tour held his bank details because he had previously attempted to qualify for the European Senior Tour.

The mix-up occurred eight years before The Open took place at Royal Birkdale in 2026. The American Thomas Fleetwood described the error as honest. He stated that the DP World Tour possessed his banking information from his past attempt to join their senior tour qualifying school. When reporters asked Fleetwood about the incident at the time, he described the situation as a funny story and said the European Tour would investigate the matter.

Fleetwood, aged 35, has yet to win a major championship. His best finish at The Open came in 2019, when he finished second. The incident with his 2018 prize money represents one of several difficulties he has experienced at the tournament over his career.