Tommy Fleetwood silenced all doubters on Sunday, capturing his long-awaited first PGA Tour victory in sensational style by winning the FedEx Cup Championship at East Lake Golf Club. The Englishman held his nerve to card a final-round 68, finishing at 18 under par to secure the title and a winner’s cheque of $10 million.
Fleetwood finished three strokes clear of Patrick Cantlay and Russell Henley, who tied for second at 15 under. Cantlay posted a 71 in the final round while Henley carded a 69, unable to keep pace with Fleetwood’s consistency.
After tapping in for par at the 18th hole, Fleetwood was surrounded by fans chanting his name. Smiling broadly, he embraced his caddie, looked skyward and screamed in joy before raising both arms in celebration. He was quickly congratulated by fellow players as he left the green.
The victory came in Fleetwood’s 164th career start on the PGA Tour, having previously recorded 30 top-five finishes. Two of those near misses came in the current playoff stretch, with a tie for third at the St Jude Championship and a tie for fourth at the BMW Championship. With a share of the lead entering the final round, questions about when he would finally win again surfaced, but this time Fleetwood had the answers.
“It’s a shame the story is gone,” Fleetwood said with a smile. “I enjoyed it while it lasted in a sick way. I’ll be proud of the strength I had to show to keep coming back and proving that it can be done if you are resilient enough and keep putting yourself in those positions.
“I’ll look back and be able to tell people I am genuinely pleased I get to talk to kids or aspiring sports people and speak honestly about resilience, about coming back from tough losses and continuing to work hard. These are skills you have to use to keep putting yourself in the mix, and eventually, you get it done.”
Starting the tournament fifth in the FedEx Cup standings, Fleetwood became the first player in the FedEx Cup era, which began in 2007, to win the Tour Championship as his maiden PGA Tour title.
Cantlay’s challenge faltered early with a bogey at the first and a double bogey at the second. Fleetwood capitalised, birdieing the second hole to move four strokes clear of Cantlay. Henley climbed into second at 15 under but never seriously threatened.
Fleetwood took a three-shot lead into the back nine, but when he bogeyed the 10th and Cantlay birdied, the gap closed to one. However, a Cantlay bogey at the 11th restored Fleetwood’s two-shot cushion, which he extended with a birdie at the 13th.
On the par-3 15th, Fleetwood found dry land after hitting water in round three, although he bogeyed the hole. Nonetheless, he played the 18th with a three-stroke lead and closed out the win without drama.
“I think it’s easy to say you are resilient, that you fight,” Fleetwood said. “But it is different when you have to prove it. I have made bad decisions, hit poor shots, but I have shown a different kind of mental strength. I kept putting myself back in that position, even with doubts. You have to think and say the right things, and I am proud to be proof that if you keep doing the right things, it can happen.”
World number one Scottie Scheffler, who led the FedEx Cup points standings entering the week, began four strokes back but hit his opening drive out of bounds. He still managed a bogey and stayed in the hunt, cutting the lead to two on the back nine before his tee shot at the 15th found water, leading to a double bogey. Scheffler finished tied for fourth at 14 under after a closing 68.
“I wasn’t as sharp as I would have hoped,” Scheffler admitted. “I had a good first round but outside of that didn’t really play my best.”
The PGA Tour also introduced a new format this year, with all players starting at level par and the tournament winner taking the FedEx Cup outright. Under the old starting-strokes system used for the past six years, Scheffler would have edged Fleetwood by one shot, with scores adjusted to reflect their positions entering the championship.