LIV Golf star teases Fleetwood after ending long-term relationship: “Relax people, it’s a joke…”

Korean Golf Club captain Ben An has had some fun at Tommy Fleetwood’s expense, cheekily asking if the reigning FedEx Cup champion fancies trying some of his LIV Golf team apparel — now that the Englishman is officially a free agent in the clothing world.

An, who recently swapped the PGA Tour for LIV Golf and now captains Korean Golf Club, took to social media to poke fun at Fleetwood’s wardrobe freedom following the end of his 15-year partnership with Nike.

An posted on X: “Looks like @TommyFleetwood1 is free agent on clothing. Let me know if you want some @KoreanGolfClub clothes. Happy to send you some  Relax people, it’s a joke…. maybe.”

An's latest social media post was of course dripping with tongue-in-cheek humour.

But it did not stop a number of golf fans from thinking An was looking to tempt Fleetwood with a move away from the PGA Tour to LIV.

Hundreds of accounts have been playing along with the Fleetwood free agency banter by tagging the Englishman in posts to see if he fancies coming to represent them on Tour. 

Fleetwood himself confirmed earlier this month that his long-term relationship with Nike Golf had come to an end. 

The 35-year-old, who had been with the sportswear giant since 2010, is no longer an official apparel ambassador, although he still wears Nike golf shoes. 

With TaylorMade remaining his equipment supplier, Fleetwood is now free to experiment with whatever brands catch his eye on course.

That newfound freedom has certainly made his wardrobe more interesting to follow. 

Over the past few weeks, Fleetwood has been spotted mixing and matching a variety of brands, from Lululemon and Vuori to G/FORE and Pebble Beach apparel. 

At last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, he showcased a full wardrobe of Pebble Beach luxury pieces, embracing the novelty of being able to wear whatever feels comfortable rather than sticking to a single sponsor.

This week at the Genesis Invitational at famed Riviera, Fleetwood has pushed the sartorial envelope even further. 

Loaned Malbon gear from fellow Tour pro Jason Day, a dabble with Sun Day Red — Tiger Woods' apparel brand in association with TaylorMade — and a cap tip to Discovery Dunes (Tom Fazio-designed course in Dubai) have highlighted just how much fun he’s having off the scorecard.

Speaking at Pebble Beach last weekend, Fleetwood seemed relaxed and genuinely enthused about his apparel freedom.

Fleetwood said: “Yeah our contract was ending and it just turned out like we sort of didn’t end up in a place where I’m wearing Nike stuff this year. Who knows what’s going to happen in the future.”

On being a free agent, he added with a grin: “I think it’s cool. I’m a big golf fan and I really like golf stuff, so it’s quite nice to be wearing Pebble Beach clothing. My kids would absolutely love this stuff, so I feel pretty lucky to have it on.”

While the wardrobe headlines are fun, Fleetwood’s on-course form remains serious business. His FedEx Cup victory last August, achieved with his first PGA Tour title at the Tour Championship, confirmed his rise into golf’s elite. Today, he is ranked third in the world. 

His career record now includes one PGA Tour win, six runner-up finishes, six third-place finishes, 32 top-five results, 46 top-10s, and 90 top-25 finishes.

Fleetwood also top-scored for Luke Donald’s victorious European Ryder Cup side at Bethpage in September, proving his consistency on the game’s biggest stage. The next step is to now finally win a major title. 

This week, the Englishman is once again in contention at the Genesis Invitational, hosted by Woods in support of his TGR Foundation. 

Fleetwood enters the weekend inside the top 10, five shots off leaders Marco Penge and Jacob Bridgeman on 12-under par. 

Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy is chasing a landmark 30th PGA Tour title and his first win at Riviera, just a shot behind on 11-under par.