Tommy Fleetwood is hoping to convert his strong run of form on the European Tour into a third Rolex Series title with a victory on home soil in this week’s BMW PGA Championship.
The Englishman finished tied third in the Portugal Masters prior to the US Open and then lost to Aaron Rai in a play-off in last week’s Rolex Series event, the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club.
That latter result lifted him into third place in the Race to Dubai and the 2017 European Number One believes another strong performance at Wentworth Club can bolster his chances of claiming that honour for a second time.
“I played really well in Scotland and had things to work on which is always great,” said Fleetwood.
“It keeps you hungry, and it’s just a nice two or three-week stretch again in the UK events that players love coming to. My game is in good shape, I feel good, so looking forward to getting going.”
Currently third on this season’s Race to Dubai ladder, Fleetwood knows it’s a marathon and not a sprint to the finish in the UAE but the impact one week can have remains massive.
“It’s there and it’s always nice to have in the background,” he adds.
“I think a lot of times when we play a world tour, you go week-to-week and that’s the right thing to do. Having the Race to Dubai in the back, knowing a good week can shoot you up there again, is always something lovely.
“I’ll be lucky, I’ve had that for the last two or three years but it’s been nice knowing you have a good week and you can look at some point and see yourself right up there in the Race to Dubai, and it’s great.
“It’s still my proudest thing in golf winning the Race to Dubai, really for playing over a whole year and finishing the highest in that ranking, I think it’s an amazing achievement. To be around and have another chance this year is great, but focus on this week for now.”
Joining the World Number 14 in the field is current Race to Dubai leader and World Number Nine Patrick Reed who has made a special trip over from America to strengthen his own chances of winning the season-long contest having been runner up to Francesco Molinari in 2018.
Reed finished tied fourth on his debut in the BMW PGA Championship last year and he will tee it up in the first two rounds alongside European Ryder Cup players Lee Westwood and Tyrrell Hatton, while Fleetwood is joined by defending champion Danny Willett and 2019 Open Champion Shane Lowry.
Olympic Champion Justin Rose is also in action on home soil as part of an all-English three ball alongside Ryder Cup teammate Ian Poulter and rising star Sam Horsfield, a two-time winner in the European Tour’s first UK Swing earlier this year.
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