It was not Patrick Cantlay, Russell Henley, Scottie Scheffler or any other golfer that Tommy Fleetwood had to battle with at the Tour Championship. Instead, the Englishman had to see off the burden of recent history. Fleetwood prevailed, taking his maiden PGA Tour title on his 164th start. Sometimes the good guys win. East Lake delivered one of the most heartwarming tales of the sporting year, a victory for persistence and proof that a relatable golfer can be a triumphant one.
Fleetwood displayed magnificent mental strength to brush aside scar tissue caused by falling short, agonisingly so, twice since late June. The most remarkable thing about this success was how unremarkable it all looked. Fleetwood’s closing 68 was so blissfully simple.
Amusingly, for a golfer who had endured so many near misses in the United States, Fleetwood actually lifted two trophies at East Lake. He is the latest winner of the FedEx Cup. The acclaim that met Fleetwood, in a land so far from home and in direct competition with Americans, served to demonstrate his huge popularity. “Tommy, Tommy,” chanted the adoring crowd as he approached the final green. Even those nudged into lesser leaderboard positions could not reasonably deny Fleetwood his moment. He is a nearly man no more. LeBron James posted words of celebration towards the Southport man. LeBron James!
“There was Travelers, there was Memphis, obviously plenty before,” Fleetwood said of ones that got away. “This probably wasn’t the most comfortable I’ve been because, as they rack up, you obviously start to think of [negative] things.
“I’m proud of what I’ve done before. Whether I’ve won or not, I’ve still been proud of my career so far, knowing that I still have a long way to go and lots of learning. This doesn’t change that really. This is hopefully just one win, the first of many to come. You cannot win plenty if you don’t win the first one. I’ll continue to try to get better and be the best I can be.” Indeed, with an orangutan removed from his back, Fleetwood is seriously dangerous.
A further endearing element is added by the fact Fleetwood still had his life long friend Ian Finnis on the bag for the biggest victory of his career. Golfers of less substance would have blamed and sacked caddies as the wait went on. Finnis has sampled the pain and now the glory.
By the time Fleetwood took to the 71st tee, he held a three shot lead. Cantlay had erred at the 16th just when Fleetwood had blinked with a bogey at the hole before. Fleetwood split the fairway with a superb drive at the 17th. Cantlay refused to wilt, hitting his approach shot to 8ft. When Cantlay’s birdie try, a tame effort, fell short Fleetwood had one hand and four fingers upon the tournament. “When you have had a few close calls and let a few trophies slip, a three shot lead doesn’t feel like much,” said Fleetwood with a smile later. A straightforward par at the last meant he won by that margin, at 18 under par, Cantlay sharing second with Henley. Cantlay’s wait for a ninth PGA Tour victory stretches back to 2022.
Scheffler’s stunning PGA Tour season closed with a 68 for 14 under in total. The world No 1 tied Corey Conners, who shot a 62, and Cameron Young. For Young, a Ryder Cup wildcard pick seems inevitable. Keegan Bradley, who will captain the US at Bethpage next month, closed on 13 under alongside Sam Burns and Justin Thomas. The latter duo are also likely to feature at Bethpage, with the lingering question for the coming days involving whether Bradley will pick himself. To his credit, Bradley hung around here to congratulate Fleetwood as he headed for scoring duties. Shane Lowry, Harry Hall and Justin Rose provided European flavour by doing likewise.
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Rory McIlroy signed off with a 71 before expressing deep desire that Fleetwood could blast through the tape. McIlroy, who will next appear at back-to-back events in Europe, revealed he was reduced to tears by the Masters during his latest visit to Georgia. “I actually did a couple of things for Augusta National this week,” McIlroy said. “I didn’t go there but there was a couple things I had to do. I had the Green Jacket on for a few hours on Wednesday doing something. It was nice to reminisce. They made me cry again.” Grown men were blubbing with joy as Fleetwood ended his drought. This feels the first of many. Tommy’s time.
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