Tommy Fleetwood continued his superb form with a commanding victory at the DP World Indian Championship at Delhi Golf Club, securing his eighth global title. Starting the final round two shots off the lead, Fleetwood surged ahead with four consecutive birdies beginning at the seventh hole, eventually finishing two strokes clear of fellow Team TaylorMade athlete Keita Nakajima. Rounds of 68, 64, 69 and 65 marked another milestone in what has been an impressive season for the Englishman, who now sits comfortably inside the top five of the Official World Golf Ranking.
Fleetwood’s attention to detail when it comes to equipment and preparation is well known. During an intensive putting session with his coach in 2021, he discovered that the traditional thin Sharpie alignment line on a white golf ball was creating minor misalignments. Though he often felt correctly aimed, there was a small but crucial difference between “feel vs. real” that could affect performance under pressure.
This realisation led Fleetwood to begin using TaylorMade’s pix™ golf ball as a training aid, drawing a thick Sharpie line through the Clear Path Alignment to improve visual feedback. His win in India marked his third DP World Tour title with pix and fourth using the ball globally.
“You hit different shots at different times…sometimes you want to float one up, sometimes you want to penetrate the wind and sometimes you want it to hold its line in a cross wind. The ability of TP5x to do all those things at different times, the stability of it and how it holds its line makes the TaylorMade ball the best ball I’ve hit and seen perform in the wind,” said Fleetwood.
Fleetwood has also enjoyed success with the Spider Tour putter since switching to it on the PGA Tour, notably leading the field in Strokes Gained: Putting (+8.14) and Putts Per GIR (1.53) at the TOUR Championship. The move was motivated by his desire to correct a tendency to aim slightly left and close the face at impact. A flatter Spider Tour design allowed him to lower his hands at address and naturally square the face through impact.
Working with TaylorMade PGA Tour putter rep James Holley, Fleetwood requested a micro-milled alignment aid be recreated on his Spider Tour. Using a ruler, a Sharpie, and a steady hand, Holley replicated the precise sight line Fleetwood was seeking.
“The fact that I now have a nice big line projecting to help me line up behind the ball, I just have to pick my line, walk in and set the putter up on that line and my decision’s made. I think that sometimes you stand over the putt, and you are adjusting all the time because it doesn’t feel right. Having something on the top of the putter has actually really made a difference to my routine as well,” Fleetwood explained.
Fleetwood’s bag has also become synonymous with the Mini Driver, a club he has embraced with consistency. Having switched from the BRNR Mini to the R7 Quad Mini at the Travelers Championship earlier this year, he continues to refine its setup with TaylorMade Senior Tour Manager Adrian Rietveld. For the Indian Championship, Rietveld moved the centre of gravity forward and towards the heel, enabling Fleetwood to produce his signature draw while keeping spin down to around 3000 RPM — a setup well-suited to the Delhi course.
“I haven’t had a three wood in my bag in three years and the mini has been a staple part of my bag. Most of the time it’s going to be a club that I hit off the tee hitting 280 and off the deck, the head is not as shallow as a three wood so I’m going to catch it a little bit more off the bottom, but the mini driver still holds its spin and still launches high enough. For me, it’s actually as good or even better than off the tee,” said Fleetwood.
