Stop questioning Tommy Fleetwood about finally getting his first PGA Tour victory.
The PGA Tour's nearly man got his win, after so many close calls, in a big way. The Englishman captured the PGA Tour playoff title with a victory in the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club on Monday, AEST.
He took away the coveted playoff championship and a $US10 million ($15.44 million) winner's check, plus a replica of the famous "Calamity Jane" putter used by Bobby Jones to win 13 major titles.
Fleetwood finished 18-under-par with a final-round 68. Patrick Cantlay (71), who played in the final pairing, and Russell Henley (69), the first and second-round leader, tied for second at 15-under.
Fleetwood had a huge smile, maybe of relief, after making his tap-in putt to finish as fans circled the 18th green. They chanted "Tom-my, Tom-my," as he hugged his caddie. Then he looked upward and let out a scream of delight.
He raised both hands as he walked off the green and was greeted by several players, including his Ryder Cup teammates Justin Rose and Shane Lowry.
The win came in Fleetwood's 164th career start on tour, which included 30 top-five finishes. Two of those near misses came in these playoffs, a tie for third at the St. Jude's Championship and a tie for fourth at the Western Open.
He's had to answer questions about finally breaking through, especially when he entered the final round holding a share of the lead.
"It's a shame the story is gone," Fleetwood said of finally breaking through.
"I enjoyed it while it lasted in a sick way … I'll be proud of the strength that I had to show to keep coming back and showing that it can be done if you're resilient enough and you keep putting yourself in those positions.
"I am really, really pleased that I get to talk to kids or aspiring golfers or aspiring sports people, whatever they're trying to do, and I can genuinely talk about showing resilience or keep coming back after tough losses and keep working and all of those things and the skills that you have to use in order to put yourself there again and then finally get it done."
One of Fleetwood's most frustrating near-misses came at the 2023 Canadian Open, where the Englishman reached a playoff with Canadian golfer Nick Taylor, who holed a 22-metre putt on the fourth extra hole to sink Fleetwood's hopes.
His victory prompted many messages of congratulations, including from global sporting stars such as Tiger Woods, NBA great LeBron James and WNBA star Caitlin Clark.
"Your journey is a reminder that hard work, resilience, and heart do pay off. No one deserves it more. Congrats @TommyFleetwood1 !," Woods posted on social media.
Fleetwood, who entered fifth in the points standings, became the first player in the Tour playoff era (since 2007) to claim his first career PGA Tour title at the Tour Championship.
Cantlay found trouble early with a bogey at the first hole and a double-bogey at the second. When Fleetwood birdied number two, he was 17-under to Cantlay's 13-under. Henley took over second place at 15-under.
Fleetwood took a three-stroke lead, at 18-under, into the second nine over Cantlay and Henley.
When Cantlay birdied and Fleetwood bogeyed the 10th, just a stroke separated the two. Cantlay bogeyed the 11th, and Fleetwood's edge was back to two strokes. A Fleetwood birdie at the 13th, and the lead was back to three at 19-under.
When Fleetwood's tee shot at the par-3 15th landed on dry land — after he hit water in the third round — the tournament was all but over, even though he took a bogey. He would play the final hole with a three-stroke lead.
"I think it's easy for anybody to say that they are resilient, that they bounce back, that they have fight," Fleetwood said.
"It's different when you actually have to prove it. There's different types of mental strength. I've clearly got things wrong in the dire moments of tournaments, and I might have made the odd dodgy decision, might have put a bad swing on it.
"But I've had to have mental strength in a different way. I've had to be resilient in terms of putting myself back up there, getting myself back in that position, no matter how many times it doesn't go my way, no matter how many doubts might creep in.
"I am really pleased that I can be proof that if you do all the right things and you just keep going that it can happen."
Scheffler, the world's number one player and Tour playoff points leader, started four strokes back.
He hit his opening drive out of bounds and managed bogey. He would get two within two strokes of Fleetwood on the back nine but put his tee shot on the par-3 15th in the water and made double-bogey.
Scheffler's chance at back-to-back Tour playoff titles was over. Scheffler (68) finished tied for fourth at 14-under.
The Tour Championship changed formats this year to a winner-take-all final with all players starting at even par. However, had they used the starting-strokes format from the previous six years, Scheffler would have won the tournament and the title.
Fleetwood, starting at 5-under, would have finished at 23-under; Scheffler, starting 10-under, would have finished 24-under.
Reuters/ABC
