Does anyone have it better than Tommy Fleetwood right now? One of the most beloved players on Earth has suddenly become a world beater, winning tournaments and racking up Ryder Cup victories.
On Sunday he added another trophy to his case, winning the India DP World Championship at the Delhi Golf Club in New Delhi, India. It is Fleetwood’s eighth career DP World Tour title and adds to his success over the past two months.
In August, he won the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup title – including the $10 million bonus – to facilitate the sting of a variety hang up calls and finally tag as the greatest player never to win on the PGA Tour. A month later he scored a team-high four points at the Ryder Cup, helping Europe win a rare road game.
“I think everybody needs something to push them or motivate them,” Fleetwood said on Sunday. “I apply myself to trying to be the best I can at all times, and there have been a lot of times where things haven’t gone my way, but the last two tournaments I’ve been in I’ve won, so maybe things are starting to balance out a bit.”
This week he was among a group of stars – including Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Viktor Hovland – playing at the DP World Tour’s India stop. Fleetwood held 36 hole bullet but trailed Keita Nakajima by two entering the final round.
Playing the final pair on Sunday, however, Fleetwood had an extra motivation to claim a victory – his son, Frankie, wanted to celebrate with him on the 18th green.
“We were playing golf last week. I mean, to be honest, he never shuts up, so something always comes out of his mouth, and he just casually said, he said, ‘You know what you’ve never done?’ He said, ‘You’ve never won a tournament and I’ve been able to hit the 18th green,'” Fleetwood said. I didn’t say anything. I don’t think I said anything to him, but I wrote it down when I got back and had it in mind. I know things will happen while we play at home, and I’m definitely lucky that my family travels with me a lot. But it was something I had written like this: You never won and I ran on the green field. That was the quote that was there, and that was something that would drive me.”
On Sunday, Fleetwood birdied four straight from Nos. 7-10 to take a two-shot lead over Nakajima, who managed just one birdie on the front nine. When Fleetwood went to the par-5 18th tee, his lead was still two. He parried to shoot a seven-under 65, finish 22 under and win by two.
Earlier in the week, the broadcast showed Frankie following his father around and mimicking his shots. On Sunday, Frankie was waiting from the 18th green.
“There will be many more times when I hope to have the opportunity to do this,” Fleetwood said. “But that was like the whole day today, if in my mind I could put myself in a position to make that moment happen. It’s just one of those little things that means a lot to me. It means a lot to me. It was really cool. That’s what I wanted to do all day.”
Fleetwood’s eighth DP World Tour win also extends his season. He was not yet eligible for the two DP World Tour playoff events in November, but his victory on Sunday moved him from 94th to 25th in the Race to Dubai, making him eligible for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the season-ending DP World Championship in Dubai.
“I’ve had such a great year but there were a few things that let me down and my run on the DP World Tour was one of those things,” Fleetwood said. “Just not being where I want to be in terms of the Order of Merit and stuff and how I’ve played when I’ve played this tournament, that was something that bothered me. It means a lot, this win.”
