Tommy Fleetwood clinched his long-awaited first PGA TOUR title in his 164th start with a three-shot victory at the season-ending TOUR Championship and collect the FedExCup.
The 34 year-old Englishman came into the final day at East Lake Golf Club tied at the top of the leaderboard and held his nerve in the final round as he fired a 2-under 68 to hold off the likes of American trio Scottie Scheffler, Russell Henley, and Patrick Cantlay to claim a maiden PGA TOUR title and the $10m prize.
Victory ends a number of close calls the Englishman has experienced on the PGA TOUR in recent years. He has achieved 30 top-five finishes which include this year’s Travelers Championship and FedEx St. Jude Championship where he narrowly missed out in both events finishing inside the top three. He has seven victories under his belt on the DP World Tour but has now finally added a PGA TOUR title to his resume in what is his biggest victory of his career to date.
He also becomes the first player, since the FedExCup began, to earn a maiden PGA TOUR win at the TOUR Championship.
“You just keep learning, don’t you?” Fleetwood said. “I think this one, I guess there was Travelers, there was Memphis, obviously plenty before. This wasn’t the most comfortable I’ve been because, as they [misses] rack up, you obviously start to think of the things.
“I feel like I’ve had a great attitude throughout it all. I was a bit erratic today at times, and I was really proud of how I found my swing again on the 11th hole, 12th hole. Changed my routine a little bit.
“When you’ve lost it so many times, a three-shot lead down the last doesn’t feel like that many! This is hopefully just one win, the first of many to come. You cannot win plenty if you don’t win the first one.
The world of golf came together to congratulate the Englishman on his journey to his maiden victory. 15-time major winner Tiger Woods went on X to say: “Your journey is a reminder that hard work, resilience, and heart do pay off. No one deserves it more. Congrats.”
Billy Horschel also posted on X: “Take a bow Tommy! You deserve it for how you have handled everything over the years to get to this point. #FedExCupChamp“
Close friend Justin Rose went onto Instagram to post a heartfelt message saying: “This felt as good as winning myself! So happy for my man @officialtommyfleetwood for the relentless pressure cooker his quality golf has put him in during these play-offs and there is no more deserving champ.”
There were also congratulations sent from those outside of golf. NBA legend LeBron James wrote on X: “Congrats @TommyFleetwood1!!! That first one feeling is something else. Especially after dealing with adversity and shortcomings.”
Whilst tennis star Carlos Alcaraz also posted a congratulations message.
What is the next event?
The next event on the PGA TOUR schedule is the Procore Championship taking place between 11-14 September at Silverado Resort in Napa Valley, California.