At long last, Tommy Fleetwood is a PGA Tour champion, and there’s no greater reflection of his approach to the game than the reaction to his first career Tour win.
Fleetwood held on down the stretch, fending off some of the best players in the world to win the Tour Championship. The first career Tour win is a long time coming for the English star, who is one of the best players in the world himself. The reaction from fans and media alike was universally celebratory.
Caitlin Clark, Adam Schefter, More Celebrate Tommy Fleetwood’s Win
Congrats Tommy!
Congratulations @TommyFleetwood1! 💙
Fleetwood’s Past Failures Made Him Fan Favorite
Of course, a big reason why Fleetwood is so popular and beloved and why so many were rooting for him, is because of how many times he came up short. Just this season, he had golden opportunities to win at the Travelers Championship and FedEx St. Jude Classic — and he lost both in agonizing fashion.
Even in the final round of the Tour Championship, Fleetwood got a little squirrelly, particularly with the driver, but he was able to get things in line to finally take one down.
“There was Travelers, there was Memphis, and there was plenty before … But I think I’ve had a great attitude through it all,” he said to NBC after his round. “I was a bit erratic today at times, and I was really proud of how I found my swing again.
” … I think I’m proud of what I’ve done before. Whether I won or not, I’ve been proud of my career. … This doesn’t change this really. One win, hopefully the first of many to come. You can’t win plenty if you don’t win the first one.”
Tour Pros Love Fleetwood, Too
Fans, media — and as Justin Rose proved as Fleetwood sunk the final putt — his fellow players so badly wanted to see him succeed.
(🎥 @KylePorterNS)
Also weighing in for a rare (non-sponsored) message of congratulations was Tiger Woods. The legend himself sent out a tweet shortly after the final putt dropped, praising Fleetwood for his hallmark resilience.
Veteran golf writer Robert Lusetich made an interesting point about Woods’ rare dip in the social media waters.
“A measure of how well (Fleetwood) is liked among his peers,” he wrote on X. “Tiger this year has publicly congratulated only one golfer on a win, Rory (McIlroy) for completing the career grand slam in April.”
After the round, and as it all started to settle in, Fleetwood reflected on the support.
“It makes me a bit emotional,” he told reporters in a post-round press conference. “I’m always lucky with the support that I get. I said this last month or so when I’ve been in contention, it’s been amazing, and to get the support like that is just so special, and I never want to lose that.
“I hope everybody knows how grateful I am for it, and I said we’ll do it together, and I felt like we did today. So I’m really grateful for everybody that supported me and supported me through this.”
Tommy Fleetwood Finally Won on PGA Tour, and Social Media Loved It