Tommy Fleetwood has enjoyed a stellar 2025 season which shows no signs of slowing down after the British golfer rose to a career-best world ranking of No. 5
Fasika Zelealem Senior Sports Reporter
14:52, 06 Oct 2025
Tommy Fleetwood is hot on the heels of Xander Schauffele and Russell Henley after achieving a career-best world ranking
Tommy Fleetwood is on a mission to leapfrog Xander Schauffele and Russell Henley in the Official World Golf Rankings. The British golfer rose to fifth in the rankings, the highest he’s been in his career, after his 21st place finish at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
The event, which was won by Fleetwood’s Ryder Cup team-mate Robert MacIntyre, saw Fleetwood bank over £35,000 but it was his rise in the rankings that surely would have been the highlight of his weekend.
While he was never in serious contention to add a second PGA Tour win to his name following his Tour Championship triumph in August, he did manage to skip past Justin Thomas and J.J. Spaun in the rankings.
It’s now Schauffele and Henley who face a threat for their top four spots against a member of Team Europe who ran out 15-13 winners in the biennial competition late last month.
Fleetwood ranks only second to Scottie Scheffler when it comes to who has made the most money on the PGA Tour this season with the Southport-born golfer banking £13.7million this year.
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Time still remains for Fleetwood to further make his way up the rankings, while the Brit may fail to reach the elation he felt when breaking his PGA Tour duck at East Lake should he succeed in his efforts. In what was his first title on the tour, the 34-year-old admitted the wholesome reaction to his maiden honour from fellow pros and sporting figures is what meant the most to him.
“I think the whole thing touched me more than anything, more than any particular person,” he said after his victory. “You’re in such a bubble when you’re playing and very focused on the day. I did the two or three hours of commitments afterwards and a lot of people mentioned Tiger and LeBron’s [posts].
“I think that story built up quite a lot. I always try to say the right things to myself and the right things outwardly, to have the best attitude possible and be the best example.
Tommy Fleetwood leapfrogged Xander Schauffele and Russell Henley in the golf world rankings(Image: Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
“I probably underestimated at the time how much people appreciated it. Getting over the line and winning such a huge one, to see the story and how people reacted, it was the coolest thing, it really, really was.
“To see how many people it touched and how many people were a part of it was quite overwhelming. I [also] had the opportunity to show my kids what can happen – being an example that it can happen for you if you keep going.”
Fleetwood’s fourth appearance at the Ryder Cup last month doubled as his third victory at the event. He admitted that captain Luke Donald has earned the right to choose whether he’ll lead Team Europe for a third straight time in 2027.
It’s been the best season of the 34-year-old’s career (Image: Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images)
Speaking prior to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Fleetwood said: “I think the ball is probably in Luke’s court, I think he has earned that.” While mentioning the likes of Justin Rose and Francesco Molinari as potential future captains, he spoke glowingly of Team Europe’s future.
He added: “Justin Rose is going to be playing the Ryder Cup when he is 102 years old so we may have to wait a while! I have also spoken to Francesco Molinari about it numerous times.
“I think the respect he has from his peers, his accomplishments, goes a long way to being a Ryder Cup captain. I think we have an amazing blueprint for Team Europe and amazing captains lying in wait. We will see where we go in the future but we are in good hands for a long time yet.”
