Legendary golfer Tiger Woods took to social media to congratulate Tommy Fleetwood for securing his first career PGA win in 164 attempts Sunday at the Tour Championship
20:06 ET, 24 Aug 2025Updated 20:06 ET, 24 Aug 2025
Tiger Woods and Tommy Fleetwood in 2019(Image: Getty Images)
British golfer Tommy Fleetwood ended his 163 PGA Tour tournament duck and captured the win at this weekend’s Tour Championship, fending off a late charge by Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley in the front nine.
Fleetwood shot a two-under 68 on Sunday to finish three strokes ahead of Russell Henley and Patrick Cantlay, drawing congratulations from a host of the sport’s biggest stars.
One came from 15-time major champion Tiger Woods, who is not playing this year after suffering an Achilles injury. “Your journey is a reminder that hard work, resilience, and heart do pay off,” Woods wrote to Fleetwood on X. “No one deserves it more. Congrats.”
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Woods wasn’t the only high-profile athlete to congratulate Fleetwood: four-time NBA MVP LeBron James also took to X to praise Fleetwood.
“Congrats and [salute to] @TommyFleetwood1!!!” he wrote. “That first one feeling is something else! Especially after dealing with adversity and shortcomings. Too [fire emoji].” James, drafted in 2003, didn’t win his first NBA title until 2012.
Fleetwood entered Sunday tied for the lead but expressed trepidation thanks to his previous performances. He boasted 30 top-five finishes without a win before the weekend, a PGA record. He finished the day with a three-stroke win.
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“When you’ve lost so many times, a three-shot lead down the last doesn’t feel like that many,” he joked, “[The fans] are amazing, it makes me a bit emotional. I’m so lucky with the support I get – it’s so special and I hope everyone knows how grateful I am for it.”
“I’ve been a PGA Tour winner for a long time; it’s just always been in my mind,” Fleetwood added. “A lot of close calls, but I’ve always enjoyed the challenge.
“This wasn’t the most comfortable I’ve been . . . I feel like I’ve had a great attitude throughout it all . . . I’m so happy I got it done.”
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Rory McIlroy, who finished tied for 23rd after breaking even on Sunday, was effusive in his praise of Fleetwood while watching the British golfer compete on Sunday.
“I think it shows how great of an attitude he has towards the game, how resilient he is,” McIlroy said after his tournament concluded. “If he gets it done today, that would be amazing. I think we’d all love him to.”
