There will be a few nerves of course as he contemplates his opening tee shot in the shadow of the sprawling oak tree outside the Augusta clubhouse but nothing the 26-year-old from Southport cannot handle. Some people shrink from the spotlight, others bask in it and Fleetwood is definitely in the second category.
When the curtain rises for the 81st playing of the Masters, he will be ready.
“It’s a landmark in your career getting to Augusta because it’s the hardest tournament to get into,” said Fleetwood.
“I’m not counting on this being my one and only chance, but I’m excited to be here. It’s really cool.
“I’m not going to sit here and say I expect to win, but a lot of the shots I feel comfortable with on the course. “I’ve tried to my hardest to take on as much advice as possible. I’ve played a few holes with Mark O’Meara and I’ve spoken to Lee Westwood as well.”
Debutants, as a rule do not fare well at Augusta. Fuzzy Zoeller was the last rookie to win in 1979. So Fleetwood’s thespian tendencies could be of use this week in playing the part of an Augusta old hand.
“People laugh at me about this but I would’ve loved to have given theatre and some acting a go,” he said, “I did drama at school and actually got an A-star and was seriously contemplating going to drama school after I left high school but decided to give full-time golf a proper go instead. It’s all worked out ok, obviously, but I still like to think about it a bit. I’d definitely give acting a go, I like being in the spotlight!”
Fleetwood has enjoyed a flying start to 2017 which has seen him win in Abu Dhabi and then finish runner-up to Dustin Johnson at the World Golf Championship event in Mexico.
It was climaxed by a spectacular 40-foot birdie putt at the last that triggered one of the worst high five attempts in golf history with his caddie Ian Finnis that led to him inadvertently punching himself in the face.
These are heady days though for the Wigan Warriors nut after losing his game at the 2015 Open.
“I shot a good first round and literally the next day had a terrible round and my game never came back for a year. I was properly struggling. I had the odd top 20 – which was everything I had – but it was mostly missed cuts and firing it all over the golf course,” he said.
“Practice sessions would sometimes go alright but when I got out on the course it was always hard work. My main strength has always been my driving and I couldn’t even do that. I tried to change my swing to be a world-class player, a top ten, top five player, and I couldn’t make the changes I thought would do that.
“At the time, I didn’t realise that golfers have a way that they swing it and it’s very hard to change that or go against what you have been born with and been doing for 24 years.”
The road to ruin through well-intentioned tinkering is one well trodden in golf but Fleetwood saw sense in time and his return to his old coach Alan Thompson has taken him to a career-high No 32 in the world and delivered his Augusta invitation.
Fleetwood, who came to the Masters as a fan three years ago, was looking at it through a watery prism yesterday. An early storm temporarily closed the course before a tornado warning shut practice down for the day mid-afternoon.
But his recent formline has persuaded Sir Nick Faldo that he could be a shock winner on Sunday night.
“Tommy Fleetwood is playing great in Europe. His game suits Augusta,” said Faldo.
“I always look at the next level down because the big boys take all the media attention. They have a free run, less media attention and the Masters is all about taking the focus off yourself so you can play freely.”
Fleetwood has been reading Great Expectations for some not-so-light relief between practice sessions in the build-up to the Masters. The grim reality of Victorian poverty and prison ships make for an interesting contrast with the chocolate box plushness of Augusta National.
His own expectations for this week are rightly high.
