TThe joy on Tommy Fleetwood’s face in India on Sunday, as he watched his young son run onto the 18th green to congratulate his father on winning the DP World India Championship, could warm even the hardest heart.
In addition to Fleetwood’s usual goading, he kept in mind how much his 8-year-old son Frankie wanted to give his father a victory hug on the final green and the two got their wish in India.
Fleetwood has a huggable quality, now rivaling Rory McIlroy as the game’s most popular golfer. Besides his obvious talent, it is Fleetwood’s style – from his long hair to his astonishing grace – that has given him an undeniable magnetism.
Add to that Fleetwood’s recent achievements – winning the FedEx Cup, gaining the most points on the victorious Ryder Cup team in Europe and, most recently, his victory in India – and his profile and popularity have never been higher.
Two months ago, Fleetwood was defined, at least in the United States, by his near misses on the PGA Tour. As dramatic as Keegan Bradley’s win in the Travelers Championship was, the talking point became Fleetwood’s latest disappointment when he could not maintain a three-shot lead with three holes to go.
He nibbled at the edges of the FedEx Cup playoffs, finishing T3 and T4 in the first two events, before putting it all together at the Tour Championship in East Lake with a win that changed his story forever.
Now Fleetwood sits fifth in the world rankings and even with two more starts on the DP World Tour this year, it’s hard not to think about what 2026 could hold for him.
“I still have two tournaments to go (in Abu Dhabi and Dubai),” Fleetwood said. “I still have things I want to complete in those two tournaments that I will strive for, and when we finally get that done, we’ll look to 2026 and see what we can do.
“I did say that the two things that disappointed me this year were my main performances (finishing outside the top 15 on all four occasions) and where I was in the DP World Tour rankings. Those are things I will look at next year.
“For all of us as golfers, those are the events. Those four events a year, those majors, mean so much that we try to prepare for them and do our best. I will always try to adapt my game to that.”
“It was actually interesting because winning at East Lake really made me feel like I wasn’t doing much different than the times I had lost and the times I had gone wrong. I think I learned from each experience, and [Sunday] would be one of those again.” –Tommy Fleetwood
Fleetwood introduced himself to the American stage with his play in the majors, recording seven top-five finishes, including a second-place finish at the 2018 US Open at Shinnecock Hills, where he shot a 63 in the final round, leaving him one behind winner Brooks Koepka.
He was brilliant in the Ryder Cup with a record of 11-3-2 and won 4-1 at Bethpage Black last month.
On a relatively short, quirky course in India that took the driver out of the hands of many players, Fleetwood immediately liked how the layout suited his game. One of his strengths is not trying to do more than he should, sticking to what he does best, and it was crucial in getting him over the line in the Tour Championship at East Lake.
“It was actually interesting because winning at East Lake really made me feel like I wasn’t doing much different than the times I had lost and the times I had gone wrong. I think I learned from each experience, and [Sunday] there would be one of those again. Maybe I won, maybe I didn’t; I could have done the exact same things and gotten hit,” Fleetwood said.
“I think being in that position more and more is something I’m really proud of, and I want to continue to do that. I know form doesn’t last forever, but I’m trying to make myself the most consistent player I can be, and just being back in the fight, feeling those nerves and having to go the distance with a chance to win, is what we all want to do, and I think that’s where I really want to put myself.”
Fleetwood sits 25th in the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai rankings, with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and DP World Tour Championship remaining. After these events, he will pause long enough to reflect on his achievements this year and turn his attention to building on next year’s.
“I’m still driven to try to be the best I can be, and I’m looking forward to getting to work. I’m looking forward to practicing. I still have so much to do in my career, and I know that every day how I think and how I act and how I practice and how I work is moving toward those things,” Fleetwood said.
“Whether I accomplish all the things I set out to do or not is another story. But I enjoy chasing those dreams, and I know that everything I do every day is going towards that.”
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