NASSAU, Bahamas -- Tiger Woods had informally met Tommy Fleetwood on a few occasions, but it wasn't until Tuesday of this past week's Hero World Challenge that they actually engaged in conversation. Like just about every professional golfer in his demographic, the 26-year-old Fleetwood grew up watching Woods dominate tournaments and had always dreamed of competing against him.
Now it was happening. And here they were face-to-face, getting a chance to become acquainted.
The relationships between many of golf's up-and-coming talents and the 14-time major champion is akin to those of Woods and his old buddies of a previous generation -- players such as Mark O'Meara and John Cook -- in that he serves partly as a fellow competitor who still wants to beat 'em every week and partly as a sage mentor who can offer a more experienced player's perspective.