Tommy Fleetwood is 23 years younger than his wife Clare, but the difference has not been an issue as the Englishman plies his trade on the PGA Tour in search of success

Tommy Fleetwood is often supported by Clare during his golf career(Image: Getty Images)

Tommy Fleetwood and his wife Clare have a 23-year age gap – which previously placed some strain on their relationship.

Fleetwood is one of the best players in the world, with the Englishman serving as a constant contender on the PGA Tour since 2018 following his emergence on the European Tour. While the Englishman has not won a title, he has forged an impressive career for himself and finished tied-21st at the Masters, which was won by Ryder Cup teammate Rory McIlroy – who Fleetwood admires.

Standing by his side is Clare, who spends her time managing both his career and their home life. The pair met in 2015 when Clare offered Fleetwood a business deal to become his agent. Two years later, the duo tied the knot. In other news, pictures have emerged of the stunning beachfront property McIlroy shares with his wife Erica Stoll in Algarve, Portugal.

Speaking on the Performance People podcast, Clare outlined how the first few years of their relationship left her anxious and “paranoid” out of fear of judgment given their chance encounter and sudden romance.

When host Georgie Ainslie asked if the 23-year age gap between herself and her husband is a ‘thing’ that impacts her relationship, Clare said: “It kind of is and isn’t. I mean it was way more at the beginning.

“It was kind of not actually for us but it was just again thinking what other people are thinking about all the time and within the industry. It was kind of big news in our circle so I was a little bit paranoid about all that really. But not for any reason of our relationship and I had full faith once we fell in love.

Tommy Fleetwood and Clare have three children – including her two boys from a previous relationship(Image: Getty Images)

“You know, that was it, baby and dog, we were in. And then it was just navigating through the gossip basically. But that was quick because people saw us and knew it meant something, and the people who were the doubters have redeemed themselves, let’s say, and admitted they doubted wrongly so.”

Last month, Fleetwood made history as the first PGA Tour player to earn over $25 million without securing a single victory. He has experienced plenty of near-misses, racking up five second-place finishes, and five third-place finishes; the 34-year-old has also finished runner-up at the 2018 and 2019 U.S. Open and Open Championships.

Fleetwood also finished tied third at the 2024 Masters and tied fifth at the 2022 PGA Championship. The Englishman continues to chase major success with wife Clare cheering on, and he detailed the close bond he shares with his family on the Fore Play podcast.

“The whole family – we’re unbelievably close,” Fleetwood said. “There’s Oscar and Mo and they are the two older ones and then there’s Frankie. And, you know, honestly, it’s funny because whenever anybody asks, so people that don’t know you they’ll always say, ‘Do you have kids?’ And, pretty much all the time I’ll say ‘Yeah, I have three kids’ and they’ll go, ‘How old are they? ‘ And I’ll say ’17, 16 and six’. And then you get the look.

“So then, I’m like, well I’m not that old, so then I’ll have to explain that the first two are step-kids which, honestly, I don’t really, I never really think of them as step-kids. I’ve been around them a long time now. Particularly Mo, I think I’ve been a, I guess, a parental figure to Mo since he was five.

“I’m unbelievably lucky with the relationship that we have. We’re so close. When the five of us are together that’s always our safe space and I hope we always keep that.”