Tommy Fleetwood's £120,000 prize money at The Open was sent to wrong person

Tommy Fleetwood's £120,000 prize money at The Open was sent to wrong person Tommy Fleetwood was once left £120,000 light after failing to receive his winnings from a previous edition of The Open Golf star Tommy Fleetwood has a history of feeling robbed at The Open. And there's an even worse example than his career-best second-place finish in the 2019 tournament. Fleetwood was left feeling quite literally fleeced when his £120,000 prize money failed to show up in 2018. Fleetwood, 35, had just tied for 12th at Carnoustie when he noticed a delay in his tournament winnings appearing in his bank account. As it turns out, the money had been transferred to a Thomas Fleetwood, just not the one most golf fans are familiar with. Instead, the funds were sent to an American golf enthusiast with an identical name. Eight years later, and Fleetwood is still in pursuit of his first major title as The Open wraps up at Royal Birkdale today. And his American namesake once explained how the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) had accidentally sent him Tommy's Open winnings because he had in the past attempted the European Senior Tour's qualifying school. JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! All the best sports news and much more on our dedicated Facebook page "It was an honest mistake," he told Reuters. "I tried to get on their senior tour, so they have my [bank] information." At least the episode didn't appear to ruffle Fleetwood in the slightest. At least not judging by his reaction after the PGA Tour superstar addressed the mishap. "It looks pretty genuine," he told reporters at the time. "They [the European Tour] are looking into it and I'm sure they'll feel pretty bad about it. It's a funny story. It's just something I don't really look at but I'll get on top of that." Many will hope Fleetwood did indeed "get on top of" that missing £120,000. However, one can hardly blame the Southport-born star for mot missing a fraction of his estimated £25million or so net worth. Greg Thorner, a friend of Thomas Fleetwood who posted a screenshot of the clerical error, said: "I didn't believe him at first but then I watched him log into his account and I was like 'Holy crap'. He was not positive it was the same amount that Tommy won at the Open but we checked and it was. The R&A Official Shop has unveiled a 154th Open collection ahead of the tournament on 16-19 July. "He immediately contacted the bank and told them you've put money into my account that's not mine and unfortunately the money has already been taken out." Fleetwood is widely regarded as one of, if not the best, player on the PGA Tour to have never won a major. He's yet to register a top-10 finish at any major so far in 2026, but hopes to stop the rot at the Royal Birkdale this weekend. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.