Tommy Fleetwood’s long wait for a maiden PGA Tour title continues after a devastating finish saw him narrowly denied victory at the Travelers Championship by American Keegan Bradley.
The 34-year-old Englishman looked poised to finally break his duck in his 159th PGA Tour start, holding a two-shot lead with just three holes remaining and a one-stroke advantage heading into the 18th. But a costly bogey on the final hole, following a nervy third shot and a missed six-foot par putt, opened the door for Bradley to snatch the title with a composed birdie.
The 2011 US PGA Championship winner, who is due to captain Team USA at this September’s Ryder Cup, made no mistake. Having reached the green in two, Bradley calmly slotted home the birdie putt to close with a two-under 68 and finish at 15 under, one shot ahead of Fleetwood and Russell Henley, who chipped in for birdie on the last to join the Englishman in second place.
“I’m gutted right now,” said a visibly dejected Fleetwood. “I’ve not been in that situation for a long time. It’s probably the worst way to finish. Leading by two with three to play. Leading by one going into the last and you don’t even make it to a play-off. It’s the worst way it could go.”
Fleetwood had started the day with a three-shot cushion but stumbled early with three bogeys in his opening four holes, offset only by a single birdie. He steadied himself with a string of pars before regaining momentum with birdies at the 11th and 13th to restore a two-shot lead.
Bradley, meanwhile, looked to have slipped out of contention after a bogey at the par-four 14th left him one behind. But a superb 35-foot birdie at the 15th reignited his challenge. The tide turned definitively at the last, where Bradley’s approach left him just five feet from the hole. Fleetwood, needing par to maintain his lead, missed his putt, giving Bradley the clearest of reads and a golden chance — which he seized.
For Fleetwood, who has twice finished runner-up in majors and won silver at the Tokyo Olympics, this latest near miss will sting. He had played with poise for much of the week, notching another top-four finish in what’s been an impressive recent run of form. But the closing holes at TPC River Highlands proved a stern test under pressure, and once again the Englishman came up agonisingly short.
The emotional rollercoaster capped what was otherwise a brilliant tournament performance from Fleetwood — but Bradley’s resilience, spurred on by a vocal home crowd, made the difference.
Bradley’s clutch finish now raises questions about whether his current form warrants playing for Team USA in the Ryder Cup rather than captaining it from the sidelines. But for Fleetwood, the wait for that elusive first PGA Tour win must go on.