“I work really hard on making sure that I make it all into a positive.” This was Tommy Fleetwood, who has been on the PGA Tour for the last 11 years but could not rack up a win. He had his fair share of near misses, but that was all. Still, he never lost his optimism. He kept grilling himself on the course, in his practice yard, in the hope of getting his hands on a victory. 4 days later, he had the TOUR Championship title and the FedEx Cup trophy in his bag. What does this tell us about life? To keep working hard until you get that taste of success? Well, yes. But for Fleetwood’s father, that’s a concern he can’t keep behind.
In a video titled, How Golf Changed My Life Forever on Fleetwood’s YouTube channel, Pete Fleetwood recalls his son’s junior days. “He wasn’t a prolific winner as a junior. He just kept going and going and going and going. He never has a day off golf. He’s always practicing. Practices too much. Doesn’t rest enough.”
Fleetwood started playing golf when he was just 6 years old. Soon after, he was playing at various junior circuits. In his first junior tournament, Fleetwood finished last with a score of 132. But even back then, he was motivated enough to keep improving. His talent could not stay hidden. Having grown up in Southport, Fleetwood often played at Formby Hall, and there he won the club’s junior champion title in 2003. “So 2003, it doesn’t seem much before the junior championship growth. Everybody wants to be on a board, right, as a golfer,” Fleetwood says in the video, showing around the Hall. His name is embossed on a board as the camera pans on Fleetwood, pride glinting in his eyes. The event was marked by his first hole-in-one, which he cracked at just the age of 12. From thereon, there was no going back.
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Fleetwood finished high school and decided to pursue golf full-time. He gave himself two years to see if he could make a name for himself in the circuit. And he did. He was a runner-up in the 2008 Amateur Championship and represented Great Britain & Ireland at the 2009 Walker Cup before turning professional. His first professional win came in 2011, at the Kazakhstan Open. “I was playing for the country a lot. I worked so hard. I spent all days at the golf club.” And he has not stopped since.
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Part of this grit was seen at a British Open by renowned golf writer Luke Kerr-Dineen. He noticed how Fleetwood followed the same meticulous rhythm for each of his putts. First, they would use his Aim Point technique. Then Phil Kenyon, his putting coach, would crouch down and double-check. Once they were satisfied, Fleetwood would set his ball on the line he’d chosen, stand back up to take another look, and sometimes exchange a quick word with Kenyon about what he saw. Only then would he step in, practice some rehearsal strokes, before sending the putt rolling. And this went on for every single putt! Fleetwood finished second in that tournament.
And though he grills himself to achieve success on the course, his father’s worry is real. On the LPGA circuit, Lexi Thompson was known to put herself out there, practicing day and night, which was partly the reason she had a burnout. Eventually, she decided to play part-time golf, to focus more on her health and healing. Now she plays only 10 events a year and has been struggling to secure a win for months.
Tommy Fleetwood, too, had his share of setbacks. His passionate and hard work could probably be the reason he developed the yips with his driver earlier in his career. But that made him practice more, playing 36 holes a day, whether in practice rounds or tournaments. Despite all this, it is this year that he finally achieved his first PGA Tour victory after 164 attempts. He came close several times, T2 at Travelers Championship, T3 at FedEx St. Jude Championship, but he never lost hope. “He just carries on and on and on. and he’ll still be on the senior tour when he’s 70s on,” says his father.
And this positivity can also be seen in Tommy Fleetwood’s behavior, as well as the way he interacts with his fellow players, even when he doesn’t perform as well as expected.
Tommy Fleetwood congratulates Alex Noren
Tommy Fleetwood rolled into the BMW PGA Championship fresh off the biggest win of his career, his long-awaited PGA Tour breakthrough. The Englishman has been quick to remind people that his putting deserves more credit than it gets, with his performance in the U.S. But back on the home tour, Fleetwood could not quite find his footing this time. He settled for a T46 at 8-under, while his Ryder Cup vice captain Alex Noren surged to 19-under to grab his 12th DP World Tour title, his second at Wentworth.
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Fleetwood, though, remained true to his nature and didn’t hesitate to congratulate Noren. On Instagram, he thanked his fans for the support and then gave a nod to Adrien Saddier’s impressive run (2) before celebrating Noren’s victory. “Congrats to our Team Europe brother Alex Noren for the great golf and win here! Next stop… [European Ryder Cup team].”