British golfer Tommy Fleetwood broke his 164 PGA Tour tournament drought and secured victory at the Tour Championship, holding off a late surge by Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley in the opening nine holes.
Fleetwood carded a two-under 68 on Sunday to finish three strokes clear of Russell Henley and Patrick Cantlay, earning praise from numerous major stars in the sport.
Among them was 15-time major champion Tiger Woods, who isn’t competing this year following an Achilles injury. “Your journey is a reminder that hard work, resilience, and heart do pay off,” Woods posted to Fleetwood on X. “No one deserves it more. Congrats.”
Woods wasn’t the sole prominent athlete to celebrate Fleetwood’s triumph: four-time NBA MVP LeBron James also used X to commend Fleetwood.
“Congrats and [salute to] @TommyFleetwood1! ! !” he posted. “That first one feeling is something else! Especially after dealing with adversity and shortcomings. Too [fire emoji].”
James, selected in 2003, didn’t capture his first NBA championship until 2012.
Fleetwood began Sunday in a tie for the lead but admitted nervousness due to his past showings. He had recorded 30 top-five results without a victory before the weekend, establishing a PGA record.
He concluded the day with a three-stroke triumph. “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. 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.”
Rory McIlroy, who ended up tied for 23rd after an even-par Sunday round, heaped praise on Fleetwood while observing the British golfer’s final-day performance.
“I think it shows how great of an attitude he has toward 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.”
