Tiger Woods and LeBron James congratulate Tommy Fleetwood after PGA triumph

Over time, he built a reputation for being one of the most genuine players on tour. Whether things went his way or not, he always took time to praise his opponents and look ahead.

Among those tuning in were Tiger Woods and LeBron James, who both posted congratulatory messages following Fleetwood’s breakthrough win at East Lake.

“I think the whole thing touched me more than anything, more than any particular person,” Fleetwood said during his press conference before the BMW PGA Championship.

“When I finished, you’re in such a bubble when you’re playing and very focused on the day. And like I did two or three hours of commitments afterwards – a lot of people mentioned Tiger Woods Tweeted and LeBron James – so throughout it all that story built up quite a lot.”

“Throughout it all I always just tried to say the right things to myself and outwardly,” Fleetwood said. “And try to have as best attitude possible and be the best example. But I probably underestimated at the time how much people appreciated it. I just thought it was just kind of right thing to do, that’s how you should be.”

But for it to happen in that way…to see kind of how people reacted was amazing,” he continued. “You get lost in your own world sometimes week-to-week but you build on positives, reset after negatives…and maybe only later realise just how many others are watching your journey.”

Tommy Fleetwood on what was more important than praise from celebrities

Even with his recent rise in profile and success, Tommy Fleetwood remains grounded in his approach.

While he certainly appreciated the messages from Woods, James and other high-profile names, what mattered more to him was the chance to inspire young fans – especially his own children.

“As usual, I think the reactions from my family, my closest people, and I think just having the opportunity to… I think more than anything, like again, it’s easy to tell the kids the right thing all the time,” Fleetwood continued.

“But again, being an example that it can happen for you if you keep going, I think more than anything, it was like, I had the opportunity to show my kids what can happen, and then… like you can do it.”

That sort of perspective has always set him apart. And even with everything that has come his way over this past year – maybe more so now than ever.