Tommy Fleetwood is one of the most popular and successful golfers in the world. After his stellar Ryder Cup performance, the Englishman has taken Dubai Creek Resort by storm. He was even able to achieve a strong milestone for the first time in 10 years.

As he sits at the top of the leaderboard at the 2024 Dubai Invitational, he has his caddie, Ian Finnis, by his side. Finnis is not just the golfer’s bagman but also one of his oldest and closest friends.

How did Tommy Fleetwood meet Ian Finnis?

Finnis and Flееtwood met when they were teenagers and playing amateur golf in the northwest of England. They both had dreams of becoming professional golfers, but their paths diverged. Finnis became an assistant professional at Formby Hall in Southport and also played some mini-tour events, but unfortunately never made it to the big stage as a golfer.

Flееtwood on the other hand rose to prominence as the world’s No. 1 on the Scratch Players World Amateur Rankings. He turned professional in 2010 and did well. However, he soon hit a slump by the end of 2015, as he was struggling with his swing. Hе needed a change.

That’s when he called Finnis, and he started caddying for him temporarily, hoping that his old friend could help him rediscover his form. The pair reunited on the course in the spring of 2016. The results of their collaboration came out impressive. Flееtwood finished the second half of 2016 with four top-10 finishes on the DP World Tour. He won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January 2017, his first victory after 1,247 days.

The 6x European Tour winner dedicated his victory to his caddie, saying, “A lot of hard work has gone into it, but I think I’m more happy for Finno than I am for me!”

Ian Finnis: Family and kids

In 2013, Finnis got married to Rachel Brown-Finnis; they exchanged vows on New Year’s Eve at the United Reform Church on Warren Road in Blundellsands. She is a former football goalkeeper for England and is currently working as a media expert for BBC/TNT Sport. They are happily married and have two adorable kids, Zara and Freddy.

The FF duo is more than just a golfеr and a caddiе

Flееtwood and Finnis share a great bond on and off the course. There are numerous moments when they won the fans’ hearts. For example, when ESPN’s Michael Collins asked Finnis about the contents of Flееtwood’s golf bag in 2018, he got some quirky responses and teased his friend lightly. While answering about Fleetwood’s weird item in the bag, he said, “Tommy carries a lot of hair care products, obviously,” and they burst into laughter.

Finnis is also close with his friend’s family; during the 2022 Maters, Fleetwood’s son made an adorable appearance, and Finnis shared a selfie with three of them and captioned it, “Frankie steals the show.”

Other than caddying, Ian Finnis also engages in Philanthropic work 

Finnis has also shown his generosity and kindness off the course, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. At that difficult time, he raised over $12,306 for the European Tour Caddie Association to help fellow Caddies and their families who were struggling financially due to the lack of tournaments.

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He sold 1,000 raffle tickets for 10 pounds to generate more with the prize. It included a Ryder Cup flag and an autograph from Fleetwood. In an interview with Golf Poster, he said, “The raffle was amazing! It was just something I did with no expectations. Then I had a lot of messages, and you soon realized how much people love golf.”

Over thе time, the duo became one of the most recognizable and likable pairs on the Tour, thanks to their contrasting heights (Finnis is 6ft 7in and Flееtwood is 5ft 8in) and their infectious smiles. Their friendship has blossomed into a successful story, and they are still waiting for the first major win. However, they were a joy to watch and follow on and off the course.

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