Get ready for an exciting tale of triumph and a heartwarming family moment. Tommy Fleetwood’s Birdie Blitz, a champions tale in New Delhi. In a thrilling conclusion to the inaugural DP World India Championship, Tommy Fleetwood showcased his prowess with a remarkable final day performance. Just 3 weeks after his stellar contribution to team Europe’s historic RDER Cup victory on US soil, Fleetwood continued his dream season by claiming an impressive twoshot win at the Delhi Golf Club. But here’s where it gets controversial. Fleetwood, the FedEx Cup champion, faced a challenging final round. He started with a two-stroke deficit, but his determination shown through. In a sevenhole stretch, he produced an incredible five birdies, propelling him to the top of a tightly contested leaderboard and inching closer to the title. Recap. The battle for the DP World India Championship. Fleetwood’s round was a mix of precision and resilience. He finished the week with an impressive eight birdies and a lone boi, ending at 22 underpar. This gave him a comfortable two-stroke lead over overnight leader Ketan Nakajima. Shane Lowry, Alex Fitzpatrick, and Thristen Lawrence tied for third, three strokes behind Fleetwood. And this is the part most people miss. A dramatic chip in Eagle on the final hole lifted Victor Havlin to a tie for sixth alongside Jaden Schaper and Jo Luton. Meanwhile, Daniel Hillier, who had a brief lead after an impressive start with seven birdies in his first 10 holes on Sunday, faltered with two bogeies and a double bogey in the final five holes, dropping him to a tie for ninth. How Fleetwood stormed to victory. Fleetwood made his move early, reducing Nakajima’s advantage with a two putt birdie at the first hole. However, a bogey on the par4 next hole where his approach shot landed in a greenside bunker kept things interesting. Lowry briefly moved within one stroke, but Nakajima responded with a close-range birdie at the third, reaching 18 under. Fleetwood’s comeback began with a 15 ft putt for birdie at the fourth hole. He then rolled in another birdie at the seventh and took advantage of the par 58 eighth, but Hillier kept the pressure on with six birdies in eight holes, including another at the par 410th, moving him to 20 under. As the round progressed, Fleetwood’s consistency paid off. He picked up shots at the ninth and started his back nine with a remarkable 20-footer for a fourth consecutive birdie. Crucially, he scrambled pars on the next two holes, getting up and down to maintain his lead. Hillier’s challenge faltered at the par 514th, where his approach found the trees, resulting in a penalty drop and a subsequent double bogey 7. Nakajima, however, kept the pressure on Fleetwood by birdieing the par 312th, closing the gap to just one stroke. Fleetwood’s lead doubled with a birdie at the par 514th and he matched Nakajima’s birdie at the par 317th ensuring a two-stroke advantage heading to the final hole. There he celebrated his victory with his son Frankie tapping in for a winning par. Nakajima’s runner-up finish is a testament to his consistency having finished second or better in his last three appearances in India. Lowry’s final round 68 with five birdies and one bogey took him to 18 under. Alex Fitzpatrick and Thristan Lawrence both finished tied for third. Fitzpatrick’s hopes of extending his season received a boost with a five under 67, while Lawrence’s closing 65 included a fivehole stretch in six under. Havlin’s Eagle finish earned him a share of sixth, while Rory Mroy ended 10 strokes back on 11 under, tied for 26th. Mroyy’s final round included four birdies and three bogeies. A heartwarming victory celebration. Fleetwood’s victory is his eighth on the DP World Tour and his first with his son Frankie watching from the sidelines. It was a moment he had been dreaming of. As he explained, “We were at home last week and we were playing golf together.” Frankie just said randomly, “Do you know what you’ve never done? You’ve never won a tournament and then I’ve been able to run onto the 18th green.” Fleetwood had that moment written down all week and it became his focus. He wanted to create that special family memory and he succeeded. It means so much to me and that was really cool. Fleetwood said, “What’s next on the DP World Tour?” “The DP World Tour now heads to South Korea for the Genesis Championship, the final event of the Back 9 schedule, and the last chance to qualify for the season ending playoffs. Catch all the action live on Thursday from 400 a.m. on Sky Sports Golf. Don’t miss this exciting conclusion to the season. So, what do you think? Is Fleetwood’s victory a well-deserved triumph, or did luck play a part? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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