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Tour Championship, final leaderboard
-18 T Fleetwood (Eng); -15 P Cantlay (US), R Henley (US); -14 S Scheffler (US), C Conners (Can), C Young (US)
Selected: -13 J Thomas (US), K Bradley (US); -11 V Hovland (Nor); -10 S Lowry (Ire); -9 R MacIntyre (Sco); -7 J Rose (Eng); -6 R McIlroy (NI)
Tommy Fleetwood demonstrated remarkable composure to secure victory at the Tour Championship, finally clinching his inaugural PGA Tour title after 164 attempts.
The 34-year-old Englishman was visibly moved after sinking the winning putt on the 18th green, acknowledging the enthusiastic crowd with raised arms and a triumphant roar as they chanted his name.
Fellow European Ryder Cup team member Justin Rose was present greenside, capturing the final putt and subsequent celebrations on his phone as Fleetwood concluded the tournament at 18 under par, securing a three-shot victory, the FedEx Cup, and a $10 million first prize.
“Having experienced so many near misses, a three-shot lead on the final hole doesn’t necessarily feel like much,” Fleetwood quipped, his eyes filled with emotion.
“[The fans] are amazing, and I’m genuinely touched. I’m incredibly fortunate to have such support – it means the world to me, and I hope everyone knows how grateful I am.”
This marks Fleetwood’s eighth career title, adding to his previous seven victories on the DP World Tour. The win allows him to shed the label of being a perennial contender on the American PGA Tour circuit.
Fleetwood is now the first player in the FedEx Cup era, dating back to 2007, to secure his first PGA Tour title at the Tour Championship, and the second Englishman to win the event, following Rose in 2018.
Fleetwood’s confident performance provides a significant boost for European golf fans as they anticipate the upcoming Ryder Cup in New York next month.
Entering Sunday as joint leader, he quickly established an early advantage and maintained control throughout the round, overcoming a minor setback midway through and successfully fending off challenges from defending champion Scottie Scheffler and former winner Patrick Cantlay.
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Fleetwood, a native of Southport, is widely admired on the PGA Tour, a sentiment evident from the enthusiastic reception he received on the first tee at Atlanta’s East Lake course, surpassing that of his American playing partner, Cantlay.
The duo began the final round tied at 16 under, but Fleetwood quickly gained a four-stroke lead within the first two holes, capitalizing on a birdie at the second while Cantlay faltered with a bogey and a double bogey.
Scheffler’s challenge was hampered early on when the world number one, starting four shots behind, hit his opening tee shot out of bounds.
However, any expectation of an easy victory for Fleetwood was tempered by a bogey on the fifth.
Resilient birdies on the sixth and seventh holes extended his lead to three with nine holes remaining, but the drama was far from over.
A bogey on the 10th, coupled with a Cantlay birdie, narrowed his lead to a single stroke. The pair were also urged to quicken their pace, having fallen nearly two holes behind the preceding group.
Fleetwood responded by extending his lead back to two with birdies on the 12th and 13th holes.
However, Scheffler, already a winner of the Open Championship and US PGA Championship this year, remained a threat. A birdie on the 14th brought Scheffler to 15 under, just two shots behind. His challenge ultimately ended on the par-three 15th, where his shot found the water, resulting in a double-bogey five.
Shortly after, US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley’s hopes suffered a similar fate.
Bradley, who will decide on Wednesday whether to include himself among his six selections for next month’s competition at Bethpage Black, contended for the top spot throughout Sunday before his tee shot landed in the lake.
He had previously denied Fleetwood a first victory at the Travelers Championship in June, but he faded in Atlanta.
Bradley’s playing partner, Russell Henley, remained in contention but failed to make any significant progress. He missed several birdie putts, finishing with a one-under 69, placing him in a tie for second with Cantlay at 15 under.
More to follow.
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