Tommy Fleetwood’s search for a PGA Tour victory goes on after another close call, this time at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Fleetwood’s ability is not in question. He has long been one of the most consistent performers on tour, but the wait for a win in the US remains a source of frustration.
READ MORE: Michael Kim speaks out on FedEx St. Jude two-shot penalty, says he will learn from it
His best chance came at last month’s Travelers Championship, where Keegan Bradley capitalised on Fleetwood’s struggles down the stretch to take the title.
This past Sunday brought another opportunity. Fleetwood was leading late in Memphis, even with Scottie Scheffler closing fast. But once again, he couldn’t quite finish it off.
But back-to-back 69s over the weekend gave Justin Rose and J.J. Spaun the chance to catch up, leading to a tense playoff at TPC Southwind.
Fleetwood carded three birdies and two bogeys in his final round. But while others picked up the pace late, he couldn’t quite match their surge.
Speaking on Sky Sports after Rose beat Spaun in the playoff, David Howell offered his thoughts on where things might have slipped away for Fleetwood.
“He didn’t do a lot wrong. It’s the hardest thing in the world. At 14, the par-three, I thought he played the right shot. There’s water to the right, he played safely to the front left,” said Howell.
“Justin Rose was out of it at that stage. He just goes for it with the six iron and if it goes wrong, he will finish 10th. He makes birdie and ends up the victor.
“Could Tommy maybe have gone at it with abandon, just go with it? But it’s so hard to do because you want to play smart and strategic. We hear that about Scheffler all the time. I thought it was the right play.
“Maybe next time the key is to play like you are one behind even when you are one in front. Someone said that to me recently and I thought that is so wise. But boy is that hard to do.”
Fleetwood’s play on Sunday raised a few eyebrows, especially given the position he was in. It felt like he missed a chance to take control of the tournament.
And when you look at his stats, it’s clear where things went wrong. He ranked near the bottom of the field in several strokes gained categories during that final round.
The positive for Fleetwood is that his place at the Ryder Cup is now confirmed. And you’d expect him to be a central figure for Europe again at Bethpage.
But next time he finds himself in contention on the PGA Tour, there will be no escaping what people are saying about his ability to finish.
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