Welcome back to Monday’s Finish, where we are taking the driver out of the bag – but still hitting shots in the jungle. For golf news!
I LIKE GOLF
Tommy Fleetwood wins Act III.
When Tommy Fleetwood won the India PD World Championship on Sunday, he made his son Frankie’s dreams come true.
Frankie recently said that he has never been able to run on the green to celebrate one of his father’s victories. Tommy literally wrote down his son’s statement – “You never won and I ran on the green field” – and then, within a week, he did. Tommy Fleetwood is a great golfer. He is also an even better father. What did you do for YOUR baby this weekend?
But the victory was not only interesting for Frank. It 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 an elastic story. Think of the moment in late June when Fleetwood limped off with a bogey at the Travelers Championship and Keegan Bradley made birdie to win. At that point Fleetwood was famous for the fact that on the PGA Tour, he just couldn’t do it. And if he allowed it, it could have been a dark enough moment to consume him. Instead? He used it to launch a special stretch. 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 on either team to earn four points in the Ryder Cup, where he led Europe to victory
-He won the India DP World Championship
-He has now cracked the top five in OWGR, while advanced analytics suggest he is even better than that; DataGolf has it up to number 2 in the world
Along the way he (and his family!) have completed impressive side quests. Frankie delivered quote of the year at the Masters (his statement that he was “trying harder” was an inspiration to everyone, everywhere). Tommy has given away enough of his philosophical gems to start a cult, or at least a self-help podcast (he described this Sunday as “another opportunity to show a good attitude”). He even wowed in traditional Indian attire at a tour party this weekend, where he looked like royalty (and further reinforced the idea that Tommy Fleetwood would do well wherever you put him).
Fleetwood’s latest achievement also concludes a fascinating third act this year in men’s professional golf. 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 two majors and half a dozen times in total, while putting even more space between himself and the rest of the world. I asked this question during the FedEx Cup playoffs – after McIlroy and Scheffler, who is the PGA Tour’s third biggest star? It wasn’t long before we got our answer. Fleetwood has established himself as the champion of Act III. We’ll put the pressure back on him to win a major soon, but in the meantime he’s the clear winner of this post-major season.
And probably the best dad, too.
wINNERS
Who won the week?
Tommy Fleetwood won the India DP World Championship; he also climbed to number 25 on the DP World Tour Order of Merit. (Oddly enough he had been off on the PGA Tour, but struggled in his European starts this season.)
Se Young Kim won the BMW LPGA Ladies Championship in South Korea; it was her 13th LPGA Tour win, but her first in five years – since winning the 2020 Women’s PGA Championship.
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 HITS
10 golf things on my mind.
1. Let’s start here: I’m worried about the start of next year’s PGA Tour season. We’ve been trying to read the tea leaves for a replacement spot for The Sentry, but now it seems in serious danger of… not happening at all? Bob Harig e Sports Illustrated compiled some evidence including several comments indicating from Mark Rolfing IN Fried egg podcast. 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. Viktor Hovland directed The Ryder Cup’s “envelope rule” and handled the situation well. I had no problem with the rule setting this Ryder Cup (I’m fascinated by the pre-contest rule!), but I think both that rule and the rule that you can tie and “hold” the cup are outdated. Instead, I think the Ryder Cup should be a steal a suggestion from ours Jessica Marksbury: The only name on 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 – a lot of these guys travel the world and see very little besides the airport, the golf course and the four walls of their hotel room. But not Hovland, who explored Delhi by tuk tuk and also relied on the tour’s Diwali celebration.
“The food is very different, it’s just – everything is very different. It takes a bit of getting used to, but I’ve definitely embraced it this week because I just love going to see new places, and India is definitely one of my favorite places I’ve been,” he said after finishing T6. “I love him.”
I like to think Viktor Hovland didn’t hit a single practice shot this week and instead has just been wandering around Delhi Golf Club investigating graves pic.twitter.com/1fUrXLMZea
— Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) October 15, 2025
4. Keita Nakajimathe former long-time world No. 1 was the 54-hole leader in India and went on to finish second. It’s been a feast or famine season for Nakajima on the DP World Tour; he has three runner-up finishes, three more top-11 finishes and just two other finishes better than T40 in 22 starts. But he is now just inside the bubble to win one of the DP World Tour’s 10 PGA Tour cards for 2026. At world No. 101 he is also the second highest-ranked Japanese player in the world behind Hideki Matsuyama.
5. An uncle 42 percent of the field used no driver on the short, tight, jungle-bound Delhi Golf Club, including Fleetwood, Hovland and Rory McIlroy. It’s certainly not a comprehensive solution to golf’s distance problem – but as someone who frequently plays Seattle’s bowling-style golf courses, it was refreshing to see that there OTHER USEFUL very scary holes for these people to hit the driver.
6. LPGA Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown start this week and could bring some late-night viewing on the West Coast (Saturday’s semifinals air on Golf Channel at 7:30 p.m. ET, while Sunday’s final airs at midnight). I’m amazed at the evenness of the four-man squads; Women’s golf is extremely deep in the US, but also in Japan, South Korea, Australia, Thailand and Sweden – and has a “World Team” that is as talented as anyone. (The event will certainly also suffer from the absence of the World No. 2 Nelly Kordawhich remains the sport’s greatest draw.)
7. Neither played this week, but it’s fascinating to see two Swedes at very different points in their careers – Ludwig Aberg in 25 and Alex Noren in 43 – next to each other in no. 16 and 17 in OWGR.
8. This week’s Bank of Utah Championship might be my favorite spot of the fall; it’s red-rock, high-desert golf in the most stunning way and should make an attractive sight in the evening. It is a clear “fall” area, with Maverick McNealy, Michael Thorbjornsen and Noren as tournament favourites, but there are plenty of names you’ll recognize making it out: Jason Day, Max Homa, Billy Horschel, Sahith Theegala, Joel Dahmen.
9. Good good golf DESIGNATED they are sponsoring a PGA Tour event in Austin next fall. This is fascinating for an obvious reason – wait, YouTubers are now in the tournament sponsorship business?! — but also because it’s interesting to see the Tour continue to double down on its fall season and also return to Austin.
10. Ours Nick Piastowski and the manufacturer Darren Riehl visited Cedar Creek Correctional Center in Washington for an inspiring story called Golf Behind bars; it’s worth your time.
“>
NEWS FROM SEATTLE
Monday Finish headquarters.
The Mariners are in Game 7 of the ALCS. The Seahawks are playing on Monday Night Football. The weather is getting worse, but oh boy are sports improving. (The Kraken are playing tonight too!)
This feels like an extremely rare combination, especially because this is such a beloved Mariners team and the Seahawks are an unexpected treat. I’ve kept my adoration in New England, so I feel a step away from full emotional investment, but still – this is great. Go Mrs.
See you next week!
Dylan Dethier welcomes your comments at dylan_dethier@golf.com.
“>
