It was almost as if Tommy Fleetwood had seen this episode before when he missed a seven-foot, six-inch putt to stay in the pack of three leaders of the FedEx St. Jude Championship earlier in August.
Fleetwood had impressed so much through the PGA Tour playoff tournament. But seven feet, six inches stood in the way. J.J. Spaun and Justin Rose went on to a three-hole, thrilling playoff, and the thought of Fleetwood winning his first PGA Tour event was gone much quicker than it came.
Perhaps it is an episode Fleetwood has seen before. In fact, it might just be on repeat. The 34-year-old has played in 162 PGA Tour events and held a lead over a dozen times, but just cannot seem to find the answer to finish tournaments with a trophy.
With every disappointment I truly know I’m closer and closer and even more determined than ever that I will get this done. The support I’ve received is invaluable and hugely appreciated, we’ll get there together!@JustinRose99, your win is inspiring, congratulations my friend!!… pic.twitter.com/Q4X5w8zgLE
— Tommy Fleetwood (@TommyFleetwood1) August 11, 2025
Now, at the TOUR Championship, the final PGA Tour event of the season, Fleetwood holds a share of the lead after the first three days of play. He's tied at -16 with Patrick Cantlay, and there's absolutely no guarantee that either co-leader will win with Russell Henley two strokes behind, Keegan Bradley three strokes behind and the world's top golfer, Scottie Scheffler, four strokes back.
Fleetwood is essentially a textbook definition of a good sport. After an excruciating loss in the St. Jude Championship, he graciously answered any questions from the media on what went wrong and how he felt.
Before the TOUR Championship, he joked with the media about the circumstance.
"I think it would be pretty funny if I won this week and then got the FedEx Cup as well," Fleetwood said on Tuesday.
Tommy Fleetwood, as always, has the right mindset and perspective.
— Josh Schrock (@Schrock_And_Awe) August 24, 2025
"I’m having the time of my life out there and I’m playing great and I’ve got to enjoy it while it’s happening. You never know. Tomorrow might be my time, it might not, but I’ll still have a great time doing it.” pic.twitter.com/JhVCJmTY7X
Fleetwood, of course, is referencing the new FedEx Cup playoffs format, which opens each playoff event as a level playing field, instead of starting players off with strokes that reflect the momentum they built at the two previous playoff events.
That means if Fleetwood pulls off a win on Sunday, he'll take home the entire FedEx Cup playoffs title. It's obviously ironic for him to take that title, with it being his first win on tour. The FedEx Cup title pays an extra $10 million, as well as the purse for the event, which is also $10 million.
But for Fleetwood, it doesn't seem to be all about money. He's already made over $33 million in his career and is 10th in the Official World Golf Ranking. He's already locked in a spot as a member of the European Ryder Cup team. But there's this stigma around his career that he likely just wants to break.
That will be his task at hand on Sunday, going toe to toe with Cantlay and anyone else who works their way into contention in the final round.
There's no real guarantee with Fleetwood's game. Anything can fall apart at any time. The only sure thing is that there aren't too many people who won't be pulling for one of the best players in the game to lift their first trophy.
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