Inside Track: Fleetwood paints a sorry picture one more time

Kevin de Bruyne was the first to be kiboshed by me. (I know, there’s no such word as ‘kiboshed’, but you’ll find ‘kibosh’ in the dictionary, and I’m claiming my new-fangled word is a derivative.)

While he was scoring, but mostly making, goals for fun with Man City, de Bruyne had no luck when he played in recent years for his country.

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That could be because I kept tipping Belgium to win whenever they lined up for the European Championship or World Cup finals. Kevin’s can now move aside – there’s someone new to be ‘kiboshed’. Welcome aboard, Tommy Fleetwood.

I’ve been laying out a little of my hard-earned on the England golfer almost every time he tees off in a major tournament, and so far have failed to collect.

I wrote him up, as they say, to make good his second to Shane Lowry in 2019, when the British Open returned to Portrush a few weeks ago. He was never really in the picture, but finished just outside the top ten, thanks to a solid last round.

I wrote another docket out last weekend, hoping Tommy would do the business in the St Jude’s Classic.

And while it is always a dangerous thing to do, I began to calculate what I’d have coming back – ie count my money – when the man from Southport took an early lead.

More than that, he carried his good play, and lead, into Sunday’s final round; and while I, like many others, became absorbed in what was unfolding in the All-Ireland camogie final, I had more than a few thoughts on what was happening over on Sky.

The news was good. The pack’s closing, but Fleetwood’s still in front; Scottie, a chap called JJ Spaun and Justin Rose are among the chasers.

And he stayed there until it came to the final furlong. At this point, the wheels came off, Spaun and Rose coming up with drives, chips and putts which my man couldn’t match.

Fleetwood got a place, and so would I had I been on each way. But this was a time when I had gone for the bundle, taking a win only.

It was only curiosity that kept me from knocking off the telly before Rose and Spaun went out on the play-off. This was a test of nerves.

Rose held his the better. His win, plus Padraig Harrington’s in the British Seniors’ Open a few weeks ago, struck a blow for the over-40s.

Fleetwood’s 34, giving him the chance to someday grab a long-awaited win on the PGA Tour. He’s now gone a hardly believable 162 tournaments without a win. That’s nearly as many losing dockets as I’ve begun to paper the wall with at home.

But don’t for a minute think Fleetwood hasn’t been on the rostrum. He’s won several times on the European Tour, put himself in the millionaire bracket and two years ago played an integral part in Europe regaining the Ryder Cup.

He’ll be out again in next month’s renewal of hostilities with the Americans, playing along with Rose, Rory McIlroy and, maybe, Shane Lowry. The greatest Offaly golfer of all time has a bit to do to gain automatic selection.

As for Sunday’s runner-up, JJ Spaun, I had never heard of him, though it seems he’s been around for a while. When his name was mentioned over the weekend, my thoughts went back to a football match I played in my schooldays.

We, Dundalk CBS, were out against De La Salle in a local derby down in that pitch behind Philip Street. During it, I got into a bit of a tangle. Referee, Paddy English, well known as ‘The Sheriff’, didn’t take too kindly to it.

Paddy, whom I got to know well afterwards, the two of us meeting regularly at the dogs when racing was at The Ramparts, didn’t book me or send me off (there were no cards in those days), but told me I was a “wicked spawn”.