Welcome back to the Monday Finish, where we take the driver out of the bag, but still hit tee shots in the jungle. To the golf news!
GOLF THINGS I LOVE
Tommy Fleetwood wins Act III.
When Tommy Fleetwood Won the DP World India Championship on Sunday, he made his son Frankie’s dreams come true.
Recently, Frankie said he’s never been able to run onto the green to celebrate one of his father’s wins. Tommy literally wrote down his son’s quote: “You’ve never won and I ran onto the green” – and then make that happen within a week. Tommy Fleetwood is a great golfer. Apparently he’s also an even better father. What did you do it for? your child this weekend?
But the win wasn’t just cool for Frankie. This was another special moment in what has become two months of special moments as Tommy has put together the best part of his golfing life.
This is a story about resilience. Consider the moment in late June when Fleetwood bogeyed in at the Travelers Championship and Keegan Bradley birdied to win. At the time, Fleetwood was known for just not quite getting it done on the PGA Tour. And if he had allowed it, it could have been so dark that it consumed him. Instead of? He used it to initiate a special play. Consider what happened in the weeks and months that followed:
-He finished in the top four in all three FedEx Cup playoff events…
-…including a Tour Championship victory, his first on the PGA Tour
-He was the only player from either team to win four points in the Ryder Cup, where he led Europe to victory
-He won the DP World Championship India
-He’s now in the top five of the OWGR, with advanced analytics suggesting he’s even better than that; DataGolf puts him at number 2 in the world
Along the way, he (and his family!) completed impressive side quests. Frankie delivered the quote of the year at the Masters (his declaration that he was “doing the best I could” was an inspiration to everyone, everywhere). Tommy himself has delivered enough philosophical gems that he could start a cult, or at least a self-help podcast (he described this Sunday as “another opportunity to show some good attitude”). He even stunned in traditional Indian attire at a tournament party this weekend, looking regal (and further reinforcing the idea that Tommy Fleetwood would do well wherever you put him).
Fleetwood’s latest achievement also completes a fascinating third act in professional men’s golf this year. Rory McIlroy was the clear star of the first act; he won at Pebble Beach, won the Players and won the Masters to complete the career grand slam. Scottie Scheffler was the clear star of Act II, winning a total of two majors and half a dozen times, while creating even more space between himself and the rest of the world. I asked this question during the FedEx Cup playoffs – who, after McIlroy and Scheffler, is the PGA Tour’s third biggest star? It didn’t take long before we got our answer. Fleetwood has established himself as the champion of Act III. Soon we will put the pressure on him again to win a major, but in the meantime he is the clear winner of this post-majors season.
And perhaps also the best father.
WINNERS
Who won the week?
Tommy Fleetwood won the DP World Championship India; he also moved up to number 25 on the DP World Tour Order of Merit. (Strangely, he had bowed out on the PGA Tour but struggled in his European starts this season.)
Sei Young Kim won the LPGA’s BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea; it was her thirteenth victory on the LPGA Tour, but her first in five years since winning the Women’s PGA Championship in 2020.
Justin Leonard won the PGA Tour Champions’ Dominion Energy Charity Classic with an eagle on the 18th hole at the Country Club of Virginia.
SHORT HITTERS
10 golf things I think about.
1. Let’s start here: I’m concerned about the start of next year’s PGA Tour season. We tried to read the tea leaves on a replacement location for The Sentry, but it now seems to be at serious risk of… not happening at all? Bob Harig by Sports illustrated composed some evidence including some telling commentary from Mark Rolfing on the Fried egg podcast. There’s more to come here – this feels like a story that’s partly about The Sentry and partly about the future of the PGA Tour in general.
2. Victor Hovland addressed the Ryder Cup “Envelope Rule” and handled the situation well. I had no problem with the rule’s application this Ryder Cup (I was fascinated by the rule prior to the competition!) but I do think that both that rule and the rule that you can tie and “keep” the cup are outdated. Instead, I think the Ryder Cup should steal a suggestion from us Jessica Marksbury: The only name in an envelope should be the player (maybe players?) who will represent your team in a sudden death shootout in the event of a tie.
3. Speaking of Hovland, many of these guys travel the world and see very little except the airport, the golf course and the four walls of their hotel room. But not Hovland, who explored Delhi by tuk-tuk and also joined the tournament’s Diwali celebrations.
“The food is very different, just – everything is very different. It takes a bit of time to get used to it, but I’ve definitely embraced it this week because I just love seeing new places, and India is definitely one of my favorite places I’ve been,” he said after a T6 finish. “I love it.”
I like to think Viktor Hovland didn’t hit a single shot in practice this week and instead just wandered around the Delhi Golf Club investigating graves pic.twitter.com/1fUrXLMZea
— Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) October 15, 2025
4. Keita Nakajimathe former world amateur No. 1, led India’s 54 holes and finished second. It’s been a feast-or-famine season for Nakajima on the DP World Tour; he has three second-place finishes, three more top-11 finishes and only two other finishes better than T40 in 22 starts. But he’s just now in the bubble to earn one of the DP World Tour’s 10 PGA Tour cards for 2026. At world number 101, he is also the second highest ranked Japanese player in the world after Hideki Matsuyama.
5. A whopping 42 percent of the field didn’t use a driver at the short, tight, jungle-lined Delhi Golf Club, including Fleetwood, Hovland and Rory McIlroy. It’s certainly not a complete solution to golf’s distance problem – but as someone who often plays Seattle’s bowling alley-style courses, it was refreshing to see that there some holes that are too scary for these guys to hit the driver.
6. The LPGA’s Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown kicks off this week and could provide some late-night West Coast viewing (Saturday’s semifinals air on Golf Channel at 7:30 p.m. ET, while Sunday’s final airs at midnight). I’m struck by the evenness of the four-player teams; women’s golf is remarkably deep in the US, as well as in Japan, South Korea, Australia, Thailand and Sweden – and there’s a ‘world team’ as talented as anyone. (The event will also certainly suffer from the absence of world number 2 Nelly Kordawhich remains the sport’s biggest draw.)
7. Neither played this week, but it’s fascinating to see two Swedes at very different points in their careers: Ludvig Aberg on 25 and Alex Noren at 43 – next to each other at Nos. 16 and 17 in the OWGR.
8. This week’s Bank of Utah Championship might be my favorite fall venue; it’s high desert red-rock golf at its most stunning and should make for a fascinating evening visit. It is a clear “autumn field”, with Maverick McNealy, Michael Thorbjornsen and Norwegians as tournament favorites, but there are plenty of names you know: Jason Day, Max Homa, Billy Horschel, Sahith Theegala, Joel Dahmen.
9. Good Good Golf has announced they are sponsoring a PGA Tour event in Austin next fall. This is fascinating for one obvious reason: Wait, the YouTubers are now sponsoring the Tour?! – but also because it will be interesting to see how the Tour continues to double down on its fall season and return to Austin as well.
10. Ours Nick Piastowski and producer Darren Riehl visited the Cedar Creek Corrections Center in Washington for an inspiring story called Playing golf behind bars; it’s worth it.
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NEWS FROM SEATTLE
Monday Finish HQ.
The Mariners are in Game 7 of the ALCS. The Seahawks play on Monday Night Football. The weather is getting worse, but oh boy is the sport getting better? (Even the Kraken are playing tonight!)
This feels like an extremely rare combination, especially since this is such a lovable Mariners team and the Seahawks are an unexpected delight. I’ve retained my New England fandom, so I feel one step away from full emotional investment, but still: this is great. Go ma’am.
We’ll see you next week!
Dylan Dethier welcomes your comments at dylan_dethier@golf.com.
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