With his boyish smile and movie-star locks, it’s easy to forget that Tommy Fleetwood is already 34 years of age. The Southport product has enjoyed a roller-coaster of a career that has largely been defined by near-misses.
With Xander Schauffele breaking through at Major level last season, the much-loved Fleetwood is widely considered the best player in the world without a Major title (though Niemann and Cantlay may take issue with that). But if recent form is anything to by, he may not hold onto that unwanted title for too much longer.
The iconic Englishman continued his exceptional late season form this past weekend, shooting a stunning seven-under par final round to claim the inaugural DP World Tour India Championship. It was a crucial victory for the swaggering Englishman, assuring him of qualification for the season-ending DP World Tour play-off events in the Middle East. This has been the 3rd successive month of unadulterated triumph for the man long considered a nearly-man of the game.
His massive breakthrough came at East Lake, where he exorcised a spate of recent heartbreaks to finally capture that elusive maiden PGA Tour title (at the 164th time of asking). He was then at the heart of Europe’s controversial triumph at Bethpage Back, scoring a tournament-leading four points to help secure the Ryder Cup on foreign soil. His victory in Delhi just confirmed that he has the game and mental fortitude to demonstrate a level of dominance. I just want to take a quick look at some of the key reasons why Tommy Fleetwood has transformed into arguably- on current form- the 2nd best player in the world.
A mental strength forged in adversity
As I alluded to earlier, Tommy Fleetwood’s maiden US PGA Tour win was a long time coming. Fleetwood had a record 44 top-10 PGA Tour finishes before finally breaking through and claiming that epic win at East Lake. Some players would probably be mentally destroyed by that experience. Fleetwood has spoken openly about taking pride in getting back up from dramatic near-misses and putting himself out there again. Just prior to East Lake, he had blown two-shot leads over the last three holes at both the Travelers and FedEx St, Jude Championships. The ball-striking phenom likely felt immune to disappointment by the time that East Lake rolled around.
Superior course management
Tommy Fleetwood is a player not overly burdened by crippling ego. You can tell that by his various appearances on golfing channels on YouTube. Sure, he is one of the elite players in world golf. But he comes across as a regular, self-effacing fellow who doesn’t mind taking the proverbial mickey out of himself. He doesn’t let his reach exceed his grasp, understanding his limitations and playing with the tools he has at his disposal. He is a master strategist who plays a course on its merits. Just look at his contrasting victories at East Lake and Delhi Golf Course. He went for much more at the sprawling East Lake, pushing his distance to the limit and leaving himself with shorter iron shots. He didn’t even pack a driver at the notoriously narrow Delhi layout, plotting his way around the course with fairway woods and wonderful mid-iron play.
Switch to the mallet putter
I think perhaps his greatest technical breakthrough this season has come with the putter. We all know he is a tee-to-green beast, ranking 3rd on tour for SG: tee-to-green and 6th for SG: Approach. A TaylorMade man since 2021, Fleetwood was striking the ball well in the early stages of this season but couldn’t get the putter to cooperate (especially over those little knee-knockers). He made a dramatic switch at the RBC Heritage in April, opting for the TaylorMade Spider Tour Black putter to correct his tendency to close the face at contact. And he has been immaculate since then, picking up six top-5 finishes on the PGA Tour. He has turned his weakness into a strength, improving to 19th on tour for SG: Putting.
Major chances in 2026
Look, no player has a God-given right to major glory (especially in the day and age of Scottie Scheffler). But I have never seen Fleetwood looking so self-assured and confident in his game. His improved putting and new-found self-belief should make him a primary candidate for major success next season.
