Tommy Fleetwood has reunited with his longtime caddie Ian Finnis at this week’s Scottish Open, after the 44-year-old looper was sidelined for more than three months with a life-threatening health issue.
Finnis, who has worked with close friend Fleetwood since 2016, was forced to step back from his caddying duties after getting hospitalized a few weeks before the Masters in April following a bout of poor health.
His condition then took a turn for the worse and he required open-heart surgery in late April.
Finnis said he was “very lucky” after he was found to have had bacteria in a hole in his heart.
“They are not exactly sure what happened but bacteria got into a hole in my heart that I’d lived with previously with no problems and then ate away both valves,” he told The Telegraph in May.
“They opened me up and the amazing surgeon, Mr Generali, fitted a metal valve and by some miracle he fixed the other valve, saving me from getting a tissue one which would have had to be replaced every seven years or so.”
Finnis has now recovered and has been helping Fleetwood prepare for this week’s Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club.
Good to see Ian Finnis back on @TommyFleetwood1’s bag this week @ScottishOpen after undergoing heart surgery in April! pic.twitter.com/o0Wwdn6WvwJuly 10, 2024
Innis last looped for Fleetwood at the Players’ Championship in March and has missed nine events, including the first three Majors of the year.
In Innis’ absence, Fleetwood had Augusta National caddie Gray Moore on his bag for the Masters. He then hired experienced looper David Clark, who is now Ian Poulter’s caddie.
Fleetwood and Innis have been close friends since they were teenagers, and have won six titles during the seven years they have worked together.
“I’ve spoken to him a lot through the whole thing, obviously, and the process went from not knowing what’s wrong to finding out and not believing this is actually happening, to worrying about the operation,” Fleetwood told The Telegraph following Innis’ surgery.
“You get wrapped up in what you’re doing out here, but this has told us that health is everything.”
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