With a 2024 résumé featuring a victory at the Dubai Invitational, a third-place finish at the Masters and an Olympic silver medal, most golfers would consider that a stellar year – Tommy Fleetwood isn’t most golfers.
The Dubai-based star admits they are three standout moments when they are put to him during a media roundtable at Jumeirah Golf Estates last month, yet he’s still left wanting more.
“I think there’s been a lot of good,” said Tommy Fleetwood.
“I guess all the guys at the top always strive for more, so I’m never that satisfied. But when you look at it as an overall picture, I won this year, and it was in Dubai with the family there, which always means that little bit more. It’s just another experience.
“Third at the Masters, that was my highest finish there. The Olympics was probably, to this point, the proudest moment of my career, standing on the Olympic podium.
“And then I’ve been playing very solid and consistently to get back into the top 10 in the world.
“So, there’ve been a lot of positives, but at the same time, there’ve been plenty of times where I feel like I’ve played better than my results. I’ve had an unbelievably consistent year, but with its fair share of feeling like I had more to give in a way.
“There are still two tournaments left, and I still have goals that I’m yet to achieve this year. They’re two tournaments I’m really looking forward to, and there’s plenty to aim for.
“So, I think, as a grade, it’s been on the higher end for sure – definitely over a consistent period.
“When you give me a list of good achievements for the year, it sounds really good. But when you’re in the middle of it, you’re kind of like (shrugs shoulders), think it’s great and then move on or whatever.
“When you do hear somebody read back a few things from what’s been a really good year, it sounds a lot better than what I would probably give it.”
Play-Off Gauge
If you were to ask the Englishman how he would grade his season at the end of November, his answer might differ depending on how he goes in the DP World Tour Play-Offs.
The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship was a happy hunting ground for Fleetwood when it was played at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, with the Ryder Cupper winning the tournament twice at the National Course.
Starts at Yas Links haven’t been as fruitful after finishing in share of 48th in 2022, before finishing ten places higher last year with a tied 38th.
But it’s perhaps the DP World Tour Championship where Tommy Fleetwood has his best shot at adding to his seven DP World Tour titles.
The Dubai Invitational champion has recorded four top ten finishes in his last five appearances at the Earth course, including runner-up finishes in 2019 and 2023. It’s a course he loves and knows well, especially after moving to Dubai two years ago.
Dubai Success
With a win in Dubai to kick off the year, the Earth course practically in his backyard and the comfort of sleeping in his own bed during the season finale, are the stars aligning for a Tommy Fleetwood victory come November 17?
“I have noticed a big difference over the last couple of years coming to the DP World Tour Championship,” Tommy Fleetwood says.
“I’ve played the tournament since 2013, so I’ve been to the course a lot, but I have noticed a difference since living here, in terms of playing the course more often.
“If I’m going to practice, I do it at Jumeirah Golf Estates – practice at the academy and play the golf course – so I do have a lot more experience with that now.
“I also think being able to stay in your own house is amazing, as we travel so much and spend so much time in hotels.
“The two times The Open was at Birkdale and Hoylake, both sort of close to where I’m from, I stayed at home because it feels amazing when you get home. You just feel that little bit further away from the tournament, like you’re not in it the whole time.
“We stay in some beautiful hotels, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not your own bed with your own things. I love that I’m able to stay in my own place during the tournament, and I’m very lucky to have that opportunity.
“Any little advantage, I’ll take. I’ll draw on them again.”
Silverware
Beyond adding more silverware to his ever-expanding trophy collection, the back-to-back Rolex Series events in the UAE present Fleetwood with another precious commodity – Ryder Cup points.
The race to claim one of the six automatic spots on Luke Donald’s team for next year’s showdown in New York began in August at the British Masters and will culminate on August 24, 2025.
Fleetwood was one of the standouts at last year’s Ryder Cup in Rome, delivering three points from four matches to help Donald’s squad reclaim the coveted trophy at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club.
But you could argue Tommy Fleetwood’s influence on the biennial contest began well before the drama in the Eternal City – specifically, eight months earlier, when he captained Great Britain & Ireland during the Hero Cup at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
With his Ryder Cup teammate, Justin Rose, set to take the helm for GB&I in the next edition of the Hero Cup, it seemed only natural to ask Fleetwood what advice he might offer the 2013 U.S. Open champion.
“Do a better job than me,” he jokes.
“It was amazing for me. I wouldn’t consider myself at a stage in my career where I would be seen as ready to captain a team.
“It was an unbelievable experience and a massive honour to captain the GB&I side. I feel like I did learn a lot, but I believe Justin will be far more prepared than I was and far more ready for it.
“I think he’s probably at a stage where he’s naturally going to lead. Whereas I tried to lead, I kind of just felt like I wanted to play with the team as well. I’m looking forward to it. Justin and Fran (Molinari) are obvious candidates for future Ryder Cup captains.
“Going back to getting the plane back from Whistling Straits, where we got beaten pretty convincingly, we were thinking of what we could do better and what would give us the best opportunity to compete in Italy. One of the first things we came up with was having a team event again.
“Timing-wise, January in Abu Dhabi was absolutely perfect, and we were lucky to come up with the event. I do now think the ecosystem of Team Europe is to probably expect a captain of this team event to move on to being a captain in the Ryder Cup. It’s going to be great moving forward, and hopefully it can carry on.”
Barring a freak downturn in form, Tommy Fleetwood is surely all but guaranteed a spot on the plane to New York for next year’s Ryder Cup, whether as an automatic qualifier or a Captain’s Pick. In fact,
In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him effectively lock in his spot on Donald’s team with a victory at the DP World Tour Championship. After all, he does have home advantage. γ
