While there were at least two players who can claim to have had better seasons this year, it felt fitting that Tommy Fleetwood was the man to claim the Tour Championship crown after such an impressive run of form in recent months.
Tommy Fleetwood has been knocking on the door for some time when it comes to winning on the PGA Tour. Of course, much has been made of his struggles to clear that final hurdle and get across the line.
Fleetwood should have won the Travelers Championship in June, while he put himself in a fantastic position at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. But he was not to be denied at the Tour Championship.
Thankfully for Fleetwood, he was able to largely enjoy the walk down the 18th hole at East Lake after opening up a commanding lead.
Where Tommy Fleetwood ranks among the most popular players on the PGA Tour
In fact, the scenes evoked memories of Tiger Woods winning in 2018 with the fans sprinting down the fairway to get as close to the green as possible as Fleetwood got the job done.
Obviously, Woods’ win felt like a much more significant moment for the sport. But it is hard not to feel that Fleetwood’s victory could be a game-changer in his career.
He has been one of the best players in the world for the best part of a decade now. And clearly, there are not many players who are loved quite like the 34-year-old.
Speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Ryan Lavner suggested that Fleetwood is one of the most endearing characters in the current game.
“Yeah, I think Tommy Fleetwood has become eminently famous, and probably the third most popular player, probably right in line with a Jordan Spieth type, despite not having won. I think Tommy Fleetwood became a fan favourite for not winning. And I think you could probably make the argument that he was more popular as a winless player on the PGA Tour than perhaps if he just won some run of the mill PGA Tour event,” he said.
“We’re not going to call it names, but obviously the FedEx Cup champion, the Tour champion elevates you in terms of stature. But had he pulled it off at the Canadian Open, had he pulled it off at the Travelers, I don’t think that would have had quite the resonance that this was. And sort of bringing back the Rory comparison even further, the phrase that I continually use with Rory was that if he were to win at Augusta National, he would be historically resilient because no player has ever needed that many attempts to complete the Career Grand Slam. For him to do it at Augusta in April was obviously amazing.
“Tommy Fleetwood was in the same category. He had 30 top five finishes on the PGA Tour. That is the most since the PGA Tour began keeping those statistics in 1983 without a victory.”
The two shots which won Tommy Fleetwood the Tour Championship
Fleetwood was not perfect on Sunday at East Lake. He actually produced his worst round of the week with his 68, with three bogeys on the card.
However, he responded to his first bogey with two birdies. He then made two more birdies in the three holes after his five on the 10th. And although he dropped another shot on 15, he seemed to play the situation perfectly to win the tournament.
And Lavner picked out the two shots in the final round which seemed to be pivotal in securing Fleetwood the victory.
“I was really impressed with how Tommy Fleetwood regained his composure throughout the day. He clearly stated his intentions early, making birdie on two. I believe he was the only player in the entire field of 30 players to birdie the par three second hole, stating his intentions,” he added.
“He bounced back from a bogey on five by making two in a row. Patrick Cantlay and he had a two shot swing on the 10th hole, immediately rebounded with two in a row on the 12th and the 13th hole. He was clearly dealing with Patrick Cantlay’s pace of play.
“Tommy Fleetwood wanted nothing more than to get this round over with. I think Patrick Cantlay was actually quite content dropping anchor. I know they got warned and tried to get back into position, but they were never put on the clock.”
“So we didn’t have that added stress. But just sort of dealing with all of these other elements, having more time to think. I was just really impressed by his composure, hitting the fairway with the tee shot on 14, being safe with his tee shot on the 215 yard 15th.
“In my opinion, those are the two shots that won him the golf tournament.”
Fleetwood’s win was all the more impressive because of the names chasing him. Russell Henley snatched the Arnold Palmer Invitational title from Collin Morikawa earlier in the year. Meanwhile, any European knows that Patrick Cantlay can be an amazing competitor.
Scottie Scheffler was applying pressure until he found the water himself on the 15th hole.
And it was impossible to ignore that Keegan Bradley was in the mix. It had been Bradley who capitalised to win the Travelers Championship in June.
The fact that Fleetwood would have known what the narrative would have been had he fallen short and still won is hugely impressive.
It is one of the many reasons why he is such a popular figure on the PGA Tour.
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