Tommy Fleetwood checked his Wells Fargo bank account and found out he'd been paid $154,480 for a T-12 finish at the 2018 British Open Championship.
Here's the problem: The wrong Tommy Fleetwood got paid.
As it turns out, an American PGA professional named Tommy Fleetwood got paid the money owed to England's pro golfer Tommy Fleetwood for that strong showing in the third major of the year. Imagine the American Fleetwood's surprise when he checked his bank balance and saw a sudden six-figure infusion of money!
Ultimately, American Fleetwood alerted his bank of the problem, which was created when the European Tour, which handles the payout of the British Open Championship prize pool, made a clerical error. That meant a pro at Florida's Streamsong Resort got the money.
Golf teacher Greg Thorner posted a screenshot of Fleetwood's bank balance (with permission) to show the error.
No joke, a friend received Tommy Fleetwood's Open Championship winnings in his bank account last weekend!! They have the same name and he was a PGA pro but still, how does this happen? Didn't believe him until I saw it...good thing he is an honest guy! pic.twitter.com/bE534xfYDV
— #Break30 Golf Short Game School (@GregThornerGolf) August 8, 2018
Yeah, most teaching pros don't see $155,000 in two years, much less in one transaction.
After Thorner posted the image, pro golfer Tommy Fleetwood's wife and manager, Clare, reached out to get more information.
“Thank you for the follow. Hope the $$ gets sorted out!!!” Thorner replied on Twitter. “And a win this week for your husband!!!”
So how did the European Tour make the error for two very different Tommy Fleetwoods? As it turns out and The Telegraph reports, the American Fleetwood had played in European Tour, European Challenge Tour and Staysure Tour events up through 2016, so they had his personal and banking information.
In the end, the money goes back to the European Tour, and the money will find its way to the right Tommy Fleetwood.