Tommy Fleetwood returned to the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth with a renewed sense of pride after his recent PGA Tour victory at East Lake, marking his first win in America and bringing with it the FedEx Cup title.
The Southport native expressed his joy at being back on home soil, where the warm reception from familiar faces added a special layer to the homecoming.
“It’s always, I think the way that the global schedule works now, I always enjoy coming back to this tournament and seeing faces that I don’t see every week,” Fleetwood said, noting the heartfelt congratulations he received from peers. “It’s kind of extra nice when you’ve got so many people saying ‘Well done’ that you haven’t seen. So that’s really lovely.”
The victory in America lifted a significant weight off Fleetwood’s shoulders, but he admitted that getting the monkey off his back was important, even if his own belief in his abilities and capabilities had never wavered.
“Of all the emotions that come with that win, definitely relief was part of it. I was just glad that I got one over the line,” he reflected.
“I’m still very aware that my golf game is the same. My golf game has not changed and my mindset has not changed throughout it all. Yeah, I think it was an amazing thing to achieve and an amazing tournament to win. And yeah, of course, I think there was a narrative, building, I guess, that I had been up there a lot and hadn’t got it done.
“But I always try and think in the right way and speak the right way, and I still think all of those things are relative. I would like to feel that it was that sort of journey to get my first PGA Tour tournament. It took such a long time and I’m glad that that’s done; it might take that long to win another.
“But I think it’s just nice that I’m sort of off that list, if you like, of people that hadn’t won a PGA Tour tournament. But my game and my mindset is still very much the same.”
While the culmination of the FedEx Cup playoffs means most of the top American pros put their feet up for a few weeks, the same can’t be said of the Europeans with the BMW PGA Championship – the DP World Tour’s flagship event – one of the most coveted titles on the European schedule. This meant that Fleetwood didn’t go overboard with the post-Tour Championship celebrations.
“I enjoyed it more than I celebrated it,” he smiled. “It was good to get home and see the family.
“Yeah, you do move on. Life moves on quickly at the golf club. As soon as you finish on Sunday, new week starts on Monday and every single person that is out here playing on the Tour, I just focused on what they are doing in the following week.
“Like I said, I enjoyed it. I didn’t celebrate in a sort of wild manner. It was just a nice, enjoyable time to share with everyone.
“But then, yeah, your mind moves towards such an amazing part of the season still to come. It’s Ryder Cup season. We have that focus on. For me, I’m in quite a low position on The Race to Dubai, so I want to climb that, as well. There’s always something else to focus on.
“But I am excited about that, as well. It’s nice to have those moments that you enjoy. A win is very special but then there’s always something to focus on.”
Now that a PGA Tour victory no longer eludes him, he can turn his attention to ticking another one of those empty boxes as a professional victory on home soil still does – and it remains a strong driving force.
“Being at home and playing in front of home crowds, and I guess as a goal and a dream, you always picture those moments,” he said. “The crowd is such a huge part of it and the emotional aspect of it.
“Yeah, winning on home soil is very special. Look at last week [Rory McIlroy winning the Amgen Irish Open at The K Club]. I think that was one of the coolest things to watch, and what a special moment that was. I’ve pictured myself winning on the 18th green many, many times. Ultimate dream, I’m from Southport, I’ve got Open Championships that come close to home every few years, and like that is like the most powerful image for me.
“So home crowds are a huge part of what we dream of and having opportunities, so yeah, that can be another one to add to the list of things that I haven’t done yet but I’ll continue to try.”
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