Guardiola joins Fleetwood at Yas Links for Abu Dhabi Aldar ChampionhsipPro-Am.
AbuDhabi(News Desk)::Pep Guardiola swapped the touchline for the tee box at Yas Links today, joining close friend Tommy Fleetwood in the Pro-Am ahead of the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship.
The former Manchester City manager, a keen golfer, teed it up alongside the two-time Falcon Trophywinner on the eve of the opening event of the DP World Tour Play-Offs, which runs from 5-8 November.
The friendship began on a golf course. Guardiola invited Fleetwood to Sandiway Golf Club in Cheshire for their first round together in April 2018, the same day Manchester United’s defeat to West Bromwich Albion handed City the Premier League title, his first in English football. A month later the pair teamed up again in the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am at Wentworth.
Fleetwood has long joked that the friendship was one-way traffic, with Guardiola keener to talk about his swing than share football secrets. Since the Spaniard stepped down at City in May, after a decade that brought six Premier League titles and the Champions League, that has started to change.
“He answers some of my questions now, which is nice,” said Fleetwood. “Now that he’s not completely focused on what he’s doing, that’s been a little treat.
“He’s really passionate about the game and he loves it. We talk about it a lot. He doesn’t listen to me and then blames me when it goes wrong!
“He’s loving his golf at the moment. He’s got a bit more time on his hands, and I think messing around on a golf course is one of his favourite things to do.”
Fleetwood has spoken before about learning from Guardiola’s approach to preparation, from training routines to diet and sleep. He says it is the former Barcelona midfielder’s mentality that has left the biggest mark.
“Obviously he’s one of the best of all time at what he does,” said Fleetwood. “I’m just very lucky to have a great mind like his around me, to be able to pick his brains and try to pick things up.”
As for his verdict on his friend’s game: “He swings it great. He’s just like every other golfer. He doesn’t like his own swing and he’s always working on it, but we’re all the same.”
From tomorrow, Fleetwood’s attention turns to a third Abu Dhabi title. The UAE-based Englishman won back-to-back editions in 2017 and 2018, when the event was staged at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. He came within a whisker of another last year, losing a play-off to Aaron Rai at Yas Links.
Staged by the DP World Tour and Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship gets under way tomorrow at Yas Links.
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