Smylie Kaufman says if Tommy Fleetwood has reached the same category as Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy now

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There has arguably been no one in better form over the last four months than Tommy Fleetwood, with the Englishman winning twice while also inspiring Europe to Ryder Cup glory.

The Travelers Championship already feels like a long time ago. Following that week at TPC River Highlands, there were serious questions about whether Fleetwood would ever win on the PGA Tour. The 34-year-old made a bogey on the 72nd hole to lose the tournament to Keegan Bradley.

There was further disappointment at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Fleetwood, once again, seemed to have the title within his grasp before missing out on making the playoff.

Thankfully, he was able to win the Tour Championship at East Lake. The win proved that Fleetwood is perhaps the most popular player in the game right now. The likes of Shane Lowry, Justin Rose and Harry Hall were all waiting behind the 18th green to congratulate him.

And of course, his performance at the Ryder Cup was outstanding. Fleetwood was the leading points scorer on either side, clinching four points in five matches for the second time in his career.

What Tommy Fleetwood still needs to add to his game

He followed that by winning the DP World India Championship this past week. While it is not the most prestigious event, it is arguably a further statement of intent ahead of 2026.

However, it seems that Fleetwood has work to do before he is put alongside Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy at the very summit of the game.

Speaking on The Smylie Show, Smylie Kaufman believes that there is one aspect of his game which needs to improve if he is going to close that gap.

“Jon Rahm, what we saw from him at the Ryder Cup was obviously incredible, and what he could potentially do at some majors, he would be a name that you would have to talk about. Xander Schauffele, to see what he might potentially do. I know you want to talk about him in a minute,” he said, when asked about the idea of Fleetwood being a part of a new big three in the game.

“No, I’m not putting Tommy in this category with Scottie and Rory. I feel like those two are in a category by themselves. I think Tommy is definitely in that next tier of guys who, I think, have the capability to win major championships, win signature events, potentially can play their way into being solidified third player in the world from a world ranking standpoint. I think everybody has work to do to chase down, obviously Scottie’s got a three touchdown lead, but maybe if Rory were to have an off year, to become the second best player in the world. Tommy’s definitely in that category for certain, for how he’s played.

“I’m not ready to pronounce that he’s in this big three category. I hate to use age as a reason why. His consistency, for certain, the way he hits the golf ball, the feeling that he has no weaknesses. I will say that, yes, he does hit it fairly far, but is he gaining strokes off the tee like Scottie and Rory do with their length? Over the course of an entire year, I still feel like that’s such an important stat.

“I know he hits a lot of fairways, but the more distance he can pick up, the better it will be for Tommy because I think to be the best player in the world, you can’t be just a little bit above average when it comes to distance off the tee.”

How Tommy Fleetwood’s numbers off the tee compare with Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler

There is a significant gap between the top two players in the world and Fleetwood. Scheffler is first for strokes gained off the tee on the PGA Tour in 2025, while McIlroy is second.

Fleetwood is down in 48th. He is outside the top 100 for driving distance, having averaged less than 300 yards this year.

It is his weakest area in a strokes gained sense. He is sixth for approach play, while he is also inside the top 20 for putting.

Clearly, it has not had a huge impact on Fleetwood’s fortunes in the last few months. He has the game to compete with the best players in the world and win. And that victory at the Tour Championship will hopefully unlock so much potential.

But it is probably fair to say that if he was hitting the ball further, he would give himself even more opportunities.