Tommy Fleetwood’s four-word admission after his wife with 23-year age gap rejected him

Tommy Fleetwood married wife, Clare, in 2017, and though they now have a growing family, the English golfer’s spouse initially declined his advances due to their substantial age difference

Tommy Fleetwood was rejected by his wife at first due to their 23-year age gap(Image: Getty)

Golfer Tommy Fleetwood has candidly shared that he “didn’t mess it up” when he got a second chance with his now-wife, Clare, after she initially turned him down due to their 23-year age difference.

Fleetwood is currently in the running to clinch his first PGA Tour victory at the FedEx St. Jude Championship this Sunday. The Englishman is renowned for his exceptional skill on the Tour, yet he’s notably not won a title despite his talent and earnings exceeding £23million.

However, this could all change at the FedEx St. Jude, where the two-time major runner-up leads by one stroke going into the final round. At 34 years old, Fleetwood is determined not to ‘mess up’ this prime opportunity, much like he successfully navigated his relationship with Clare, who is 57 and was initially hesitant about their age difference.

The pair first crossed paths through Fleetwood’s brother Joe, who worked with Clare at Hambric Sports Management. Fleetwood even mentioned Clare in his Golf Monthly blog back in mid-2015, noting how well they got along and that he had enjoyed their conversations over the years.

“I get on well with Clare Craig, too, who is vice-president of Europe,” Fleetwood penned. “She’s always been around on Tour, and I’ve chatted to her a lot over the years.”

Their professional relationship took a personal turn later in 2015 when Clare became Fleetwood’s manager, leading to romance. The couple tied the knot two years later and have a son named Frankie together. Clare, originally from Manchester, also has two sons from a previous relationship.

Fleetwood married Clare in the Bahamas in 2017(Image: Getty)

But their love story wasn’t without its complications. On the Performance People podcast, Fleetwood’s partner shared that she initially rebuffed his romantic interest.

“We’ve got a 23-year age difference,” she stated, reflecting on the early stages of their romance. “Of course, I turned him down. I was like, ‘Don’t be stupid.’”

Fleetwood opened up about how he eventually won Clare over, culminating in a candid four-word confession: “Well, she just eventually gave in, I think, and thought, ‘I’ll just give him some time. I’ll give him the time of day and then we’ll go from there.’ I didn’t mess up.”

Clare continued, and touched on considering giving up her managerial role after marrying Fleetwood, but acknowledged that juggling both positions offers her comprehensive insight.

“I know everything on every side – so there’s sponsorship side, the logistics side, the PR side, the accounts side, everything,” she elaborated. “Maybe sometimes too much, you know, because then that’s all I think about sometimes, but that’s just the different dynamic.

“I look at one question – it might have 15 answers for me. Do you know what I mean? It’s a little bit more complicated for me because I see things, you know, like, are we going to live? I don’t see it as a lifestyle choice necessarily, I’ll look at it as a business choice as well.”

At the FedEx St. Jude being hosted at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, Fleetwood is facing stiff competition, with a slew of skilled contenders hot on his heels after several close calls in previous years.

Trailing him by just one stroke is fellow Englishman Justin Rose, and two shots behind is world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. US Open champion J. J. Spaun is also only three shots adrift of Fleetwood, who is aiming to create his own personal history.