Tommy Lad does enough to keep alive hopes of British Open in his hometown

SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — Tommy Fleetwood has been dreaming about winning a British Open since he was a wee lad in Southport who could only sneak onto Royal Birkdale late in the evening. He's not about to stop dreaming now.

Even with a pair of bogeys on the final four holes, Fleetwood did enough Saturday — a 1-under 69, his third round under par this week — and was five shots behind Sam Burns.

He also had a record crowd at Royal Birkdale behind him.

“There’s no pressure on me at all really, except for my own expectations,” Fleetwood said. "And of course, it’s a really beautiful thing that the town is so hopeful for me and they want me to do well. I can’t ask for any more from thousands and thousands of people out there.

“They've made a massive difference to me,” he said. “Yesterday evening, the first tee every day, today when I was in contention, that stuff that I’ll have for life. How many people in the golfing world get to experience that with the crowd that much on your side? It’s been a very special week for me no matter what. If I can get it tomorrow, I could make it even more special. We’ll see.”

The support is unlike anything he's ever heard, and for good reason. This is Southport's favorite son, and one of golf's most beloved figures because of his grace handling more tough losses than wins. Everybody seems to love Tommy Lad.

“Oh, Tommy, Tommy! Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy Fleet-wood,” thousands sang to him in a football melody at practically every turn, particularly after birdies.

He heard warm applause on every tee. He heard shouts — “Go on, Tommy Lad!” — down most every fairway. The birdie he made Friday on the par-3 15th with the massive, three-story observation suite was deafening. The roar from around the 11th green Saturday told him his shot was no more than 2 feet away.

“You can hear it constantly, no matter where he goes. It’s constant, unconditional support,” said Jon Rahm, who played alongside Fleetwood on Saturday. "I can’t imagine what it’s like to play ... his favorite event of the year at home because I get a small pinch of what it feels like when I play in the Spanish Open.

“And if it was a major in Spain, I can only imagine.”

Fleetwood made his move midway through the front nine with two birdies in three holes. His shot into the 11th to 2 feet brought him to within one of the lead.

But the momentum changed when he missed the green down the steep slope to the right, hit a beautiful pitch and missed the 6-foot par. He found a pot bunker on the 18th and had to lay up, and eventually scramble, just to salvage bogey.

But strange things happen in majors, especially this one on links golf. Royal Birkdale already has made history by giving up three record-tying rounds of 62, though they were in the morning before the wind picked up and the greens got a little more crusty.

Fleetwood is eager to find out how it all unfolds. Can he imagine what it would be like to walk onto the 18th green to collect the silver claret jug?

“I've done it most days since I was 7 years old, and it still hasn’t stopped,” Fleetwood said. "That’s what life’s about, right? You daydream and you dream about the biggest things possible and then you try and make it a reality.

“Life is all about experiences,” he said. “And I think I’ve had some of the best experiences of my life so far this week.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Tommy Fleetwood of England putts on the 9th green during the third day of the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Tommy Fleetwood of England plays out of a bunker on the 14th green during the third day of the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Tommy Fleetwood of England, left putts on the 18th green, watched by Jon Rahm of Spain, during the third day of the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Tommy Fleetwood of England looks at the lie of his putt on the 9th green during the third day of the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Tommy Fleetwood of England reacts to the crowd on the 18th green after completing his third round during the third day of the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

LONDON (AP) — A British sociologist who became famous as the youngest Black professor ever at the University of Cambridge has resigned after the university opened an investigation into “new information” about his academic qualifications.

Professor Jason Arday, who was 37 when he became a Cambridge professor in 2023, announced his decision late Wednesday following weeks of allegations about plagiarism in his academic work and questions surrounding claims about his athletic and fundraising accomplishments.

“While criticism is an inevitable part of academic life, what I have experienced has gone far beyond scholarly disagreement,” Arday said in a statement. “The relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love.”

The statement was distributed by the Good Law Project, a campaign group that has supported Arday since the criticism spilled into the media last month. An earlier letter circulated by the group and signed by more than two dozen academics and politicians described the plagiarism allegations as a “smear campaign” designed to undermine Arday and other Black people who hold “positions of influence.”

Arday’s appointment at Cambridge highlighted his personal story of overcoming dyslexia, developmental delays and autism that he said left him non-verbal until the age of 11 and illiterate until his late teens.

Questions about his qualifications were raised publicly last month by Nathan Cofnas, a one-time Cambridge philosophy researcher who left the university after his critique of diversity, equity and inclusion programs sparked widespread protests.

On July 24, the Times of London published an analysis of Arday’s 2015 Ph.D. thesis highlighting what it said were multiple examples of passages that were “identical or near-identical” to an earlier paper written by another researcher.

The British media also raised questions about Arday’s claims that he had raised 5.5 million pounds ($7.4 million) for charity through feats such as running 30 marathons in 35 days and 600 miles in six days.

Arday told the Guardian news website that the money was raised with the help of others over a 20-year period. He said non-disclosure agreements prevented him from naming the others.

Cambridge initially stood by Arday, saying that the plagiarism allegations had been investigated by Liverpool John Moores University, which awarded Arday’s doctorate.

That changed Wednesday when Cambridge opened its inquiry.

“The University of Cambridge has begun an investigation following new information about Professor Arday’s qualifications and honorary appointments,” the university said in a statement. “In order to ensure a fair process, we will not comment further until this has concluded.”

The Times of London said Cambridge decided to investigate after it presented new evidence that some of Arday’s research was “fabricated” and contained “impossible” evidence.

In an interview with the newspaper published last week, Arday denied plagiarism but admitted to some mistakes that he said were partly due to a lack of supervision when he was working on his doctorate.

Arday continued to defend himself in his resignation statement, saying his decision “should not be interpreted as a loss of faith in scholarship.”

“Nor should it be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me’” he said. “It is simply the decision of someone who has reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure.”

Torchbearer Jason Arday carries the Olympic Flame on the Torch Relay leg between Sutton and Merton, in London, July 23, 2012. (Joe Giddens/LOCOG/PA via AP)