Browsing: Fleetwoods

Does anyone have it better than Tommy Fleetwood right now? One of the most likable golfers on Earth has suddenly turned into a world-beater, winning tournaments and piling up Ryder Cup victories.

On Sunday he added another trophy to his case, wining the DP World India Championship at Delhi Golf Club in New Delhi, India. It’s Fleetwood’s eighth career DP World Tour title and adds to the success of his last couple of months.

In August, he won the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup title — including the $10 million bonus — to ease the sting of a series of close calls and finally kick the label as the best player to never have won on the PGA Tour. A month later he earned a team-high four points at the Ryder Cup, helping Europe win a rare road game.

“I think everybody needs something to push them or to motivate them,” Fleetwood said Sunday. “I apply myself in trying to achieve the best possible at all times, and there’s plenty of times where things haven’t gone my way, but the last two tournaments I’ve been in contention I’ve won, so maybe things are starting to even out a little bit.”

This week he was among a group of stars — including Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Viktor Hovland — playing the DP World Tour stop in India. Fleetwood held the 36-hole lead but trailed Keita Nakajima by two entering the final round.

Playing in the final pairing on Sunday, however, Fleetwood had extra motivation to pick up a victory — his son, Frankie, wanted to celebrate with him on the 18th green.

“We were playing golf last week. I mean, to be honest, he never shuts up, so there’s always something coming out of his mouth, and he just happened to say randomly, he said, ‘You know what you’ve never done?’ He said, ‘You’ve never won a tournament and I’ve been able to run on to the 18th green,’” Fleetwood said. “He just said it as a passing comment. I didn’t really say anything. I don’t think I said anything back to him, but I wrote it down when I got back, and I had it in my mind. I know that there’s events to come while we’re playing at home, and obviously I’m lucky that my family get to travel with me quite a lot. But it was something that I had wrote down. It was kind of this quote, it was: You have never won and I’ve run onto the green. That was the quote that was there, and that was something that would drive me.”

On Sunday, Fleetwood birdied four in a row from Nos. 7-10 to take a two-stroke lead over Nakajima, who managed just one birdie on the front nine. When Fleetwood stepped to the par-5 18th tee his lead was still two. He parred to shoot seven-under 65, finish 22 under and win by two.

Earlier in the week, the broadcast showed Frankie following his dad and mimicking his shots. On Sunday, Frankie was waiting by the 18th green.

“There’s going to be many more times where I hopefully get the chance to do that,” Fleetwood said. “But that was like all day today, had in my mind could I put myself in a position where I can actually make that moment happen. It’s just one of those little things it means a lot to me. It means so much to me. That was really cool. That’s what I wanted to do all day.”

Fleetwood’s eighth DP World Tour win also extends his season. He was not yet eligible for the two DP World Tour playoff events in November, but his win Sunday vaulted him from 94th to 25th in the Race to Dubai, making him eligible for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

“I’ve had such a great year, but there was a couple of things that disappointed me, and my run on the DP World Tour was one of those things,” Fleetwood said. “Just not being where I want to be in terms of the Order of Merit and things and how I’ve played when I have played this tour, that was something that was bothering me. This means a lot, this win.”

NEW DELHI — Tommy Fleetwood’s best season got even better Sunday when he ran off four straight birdies around the turn and closed with a 7-under 65 for a two-shot victory over Keita Nakajima in the DP World India Championship.

Fleetwood had cause to celebrate for the third time in the last three months — the FedExCup title with his first win on U.S. soil, the leading points-earner in a road win for Team Europe in the Ryder Cup and now his first European tour win of the year.

Nakajima had a two-shot lead to start the final round at Delhi Golf Club and played bogey-free. He just couldn’t keep pace with Fleetwood, who made four straight birdies starting at the par-3 seventh to turn a two-shot deficit into a two-shot lead.

“I feel like for all the good that’s happened this year, a couple of things have disappointed me,†said Fleetwood, who had not won this season on the DP World Tour. “Another win, it feels great.â€

Even after another Ryder Cup highlight, the 34-year-old from England felt he had more to achieve this year and winning on the European circuit — his eighth career tour win — was high on his list. Fleetwood, for all his success on the PGA Tour this year, was still not eligible for the closing two events on the European schedule.

Now he is. The victory moves him from No. 94 to No. 25 in the Race to Dubai, making him eligible for the Abu Dhabi Championship and season-ending Tour Championship in Dubai.

Most pleasing to Fleetwood was watching his 8-year-old son, Frankie, run onto the 18th green after he tapped in for par to finish on 22-under 266.

They were playing golf recently when Fleetwood said his son told him he had never won a tournament where the boy could run out to green to greet him.

“All day today, I had in my mind, ‘Could I put myself in position to make that happen?’†Fleetwood said. “It’s just one of those little things it means a lot to me. It means so much to me. That was really cool. That’s what I wanted to do all day.â€

Nakajima struggled with accuracy off the tee when he needed to make up ground late in the final round, though he holed enough putts to stay close. He shot 69 and moved into the top 10 on the list of European tour players who would be eligible for PGA Tour cards next year.

Shane Lowry (68), Thriston Lawrence (65) and Alex Fitzpatrick (67) tied for third at 270.

Rory McIlroy, playing in India for the first time in his career, birdied his final hole for a 71 to finish in a tie for 26th, 11 shots behind Fleetwood.

Tommy Fleetwood’s very good, very successful, golf-is-too-easy fall season doesn’t seem to be slowing down.

The toast of the golf world, fresh off a dominating Ryder Cup performance and Tour Championship victory — his first on the PGA Tour — is now leading the DP World India Championship, a first-year DP World Tour event several big-name pros are competing in (thanks to a little help from appearance fees).

Fleetwood shot an eight-under 64 on Friday at Delhi Golf Club in New Delhi, India, a round highlighted by birdies in five of his last eight. That followed his opening-round 68, and he now heads into the weekend leading Brian Harman and Shane Lowry by one. Rory McIlroy, at six under, is six back.

Fleetwood said he wasn’t happy with how he ended his round Thursday but hit balls afterward and felt like his Friday swing was in a better place.

“I hit it in the fairway a lot today and gave myself some chances with irons,” he said. “It’s easy talking about how many things you did well when you shot eight under, but a really good round of golf.”

Delhi Golf Club is a unique test for professionals this week. It’s shorter and tight and driver isn’t needed as often as it’s weaponized in the States. McIlroy’s put away his trusty driver altogether. Fleetwood said he hasn’t hit more than a 5-wood.

“It’s such a unique challenge, and the greens are firming out a little bit and the pins have been tricky,” he said. “It’s been very, very enjoyable. It’s a test of patience when you’re not quite on it because like it’s one of those courses, you get a few of them where you feel if you hit it good off the tee you’re going to have some short irons and wedges and feel like you’ve always got a chance to get it wrong. It’s such a waiting game. You’ve got to be very patient. It’s been a great test.”

Fleetwood, to his credit, has passed the majority of his tests the last couple of months. The fan favorite was long known as one of the best golfers in the world to never have won on the big tour (despite his DP World Tour success) and had even more close calls this summer. But in August he won the Tour Championship and the $10 million FedEx Cup title to shed that label.

A month later he was the Europeans’ best player at Bethpage Black, securing four points and leading Europe to an away Ryder Cup victory.

That Ryder Cup familiarity has carried over to this week. Fleetwood’s been grouped with fellow Ryder Cupper Shane Lowry and European captain Luke Donald for the first two rounds.

“Unbelievable three-ball,” Fleetwood said. “I think because you’re so comfortable with each other, you do your own thing. Yeah, I mean, like just it’s always links-style golf course a bonus when you’re with two guys that you’re really close with. So yeah, I saw the draw, or Shane actually told me about the draw, and I was really pleased. It has been a great two days.

Mark SchlabachAug 24, 2025, 07:14 PM ETCloseSenior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the…

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