Golfer Tommy Fleetwood has been left reeling from the "horrific" knife attack in Southport that tragically ended the lives of three young children.
The Southport-born athlete, who now resides in Dubai, expressed his deep sorrow over the horrible incident that unfolded in his childhood town on Monday.
The devastating attack occurred at The Hart Space community hub and pregnancy care centre during a packed Taylor Swift dance class for kids.
Six-year-old Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe aged seven, and nine-year-old Alice Aguiar were the innocent victims of this senseless tragedy.
Fleetwood, 33, is currently gearing up for the Olympics in Paris but was profoundly shaken by the news from Southport, where his father and putting coach Phil Kenyon still reside.
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In a heartfelt statement, he said: "I don't know what to say. Stuff like this happens way more often than we would all like. You don't expect it to happen in a little town like Southport.
"The whole thing is just terrible; it's obviously tragic for the town and everybody involved, but for those directly affected, it's simply horrific.
"Your first thoughts are always with the families who have tragically lost loved ones or those who will have to live with this for the rest of their lives. It's just not fair.
"When one of you gets hurt, you feel like all of you do. That's just what home is. Everybody is feeling it, for sure, but nobody as much as the families that are involved and that's what comes first.
"We all follow our dreams, whatever it is, and that's obviously a huge part of life but for those kids that won't have the chance and those families that have got to deal with it, it massively puts things into perspective."
The golf star had earlier taken to social media to express his sorrow over Monday's heartbreaking news. He wrote: "I am absolutely heartbroken at the news coming out of Southport today.
"My thoughts are with the families of the children who were tragically killed and injured. What they are going through is unimaginable.
""As a parent myself it's difficult to even comprehend what has happened and what they have ahead of them, but I know the whole community in Southport will come together to support them.
"My heart will always be in Southport and together with my family we are sending all of our love to the people of my hometown."
