Tommy Fleetwood just won the third act of this professional golf season
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Tommy Fleetwood won the third act.
when Tommy Fleetwood Having won the DP World Indian Championship on Sunday, he made his son Frankie’s Dreams come true.
Recently Frankie mentioned that he had never been able to run onto the green to celebrate one of his dad’s wins. Tommy wrote down his son’s words – “You never win and I hit the green.” —and, within a week, it all happened. Tommy Fleetwood is an excellent golfer. He’s also clearly a better father. what did you do your Kids this weekend?
But this win isn’t just cool for Frankie. It was another special moment in two months of special moments, as Tommy had already had the best time of his golf career.
This is a story of resilience. Consider that moment in late June, when Fleetwood bogeyed at the Travelers Championship and Keegan Bradley won with a birdie. Fleetwood was well-known at the time for the fact that he couldn’t quite finish on the PGA Tour. It could have been a dark moment that would have consumed him had he allowed it. instead? He uses it to initiate a special stretch. Consider what happened in the weeks and months that followed:
-He had top-four finishes in all three FedExCup Playoff games…
-…includes victory at the Tour Championship, his first on the PGA Tour
– He is the only player from either team to score four points in a Ryder Cup, leading Team Europe to victory
-He won the DP World Indian Championship
-He’s now in the top five at OWGR, and advanced analytics suggests he’s even better than that; DataGolf ranks him No. 2 in the world
Along the way, he (and his family!) complete an impressive array of side missions. Frankie delivered his quote of the year at the Masters (he inspired everyone around the world by proclaiming that he was “doing his best”). Tommy has published enough philosophical gems that he could start a cult, or at least a self-help podcast (he describes this Sunday as “another chance to show off a good attitude”). He even made a stunning appearance at a tournament party this weekend in traditional Indian attire, looking like royalty (further reinforcing the idea that Tommy Fleetwood will excel wherever he’s placed).
Fleetwood’s latest achievement also completes a fascinating third act in men’s professional golf this year. Rory McIlroy He was the brightest star in the first act; he won at Pebble Beach, won the Players Championship, won the Masters, and completed the career Grand Slam. Scotty Scheffler was the brightest star of the second act, winning a total of two majors and six victories as he put more distance between himself and the rest of the world. I posed this question during the FedExCup Playoffs – after McIlroy and Scheffler, who is the third biggest star on the PGA Tour? It didn’t take long for us to get our answer. Fleetwood has established himself as a third-act champion. Soon we’ll be putting pressure on him to win a Grand Slam, but in the meantime, he’s the clear winner in this post-Grand Slam season.
Perhaps the best father ever, too.
Winner
Who wins this week?
Tommy Fleetwood Won the DP World India Championship; his ranking on the DP World Tour Money List also rose to 25th. (Oddly enough, he struggled on the PGA Tour but in his first European start this season.)
Jin Shiying Won the Korea LPGA BMW Women’s Championship; this was her 13th LPGA Tour victory and her first in five years since winning the Women’s PGA Championship in 2020.
Justin Leonard He won the PGA Tour Champions Dominion Energy Charity Classic with an eagle on the 18th hole at Virginia Country Club.
bunt hitter
10 golf things that come to mind.
1. Let’s start here: I’m worried about the start of next year’s PGA Tour season. We’ve been trying to read about an alternative venue for the Sentinel Theatre, but now appear to be at serious risk of… not happening at all? Bob Harig of sports illustrated Collected some evidence, including some persuasive comments Mark Rolfing At Fried eggs podcast. There’s more to come — this feels like a story that’s part about the Sentinels and part about the future of the PGA Tour as a whole.
2. Victor Hovland Addressed the Ryder Cup “envelope rule” and handled the situation well. I have no problem with the deployment of the rules for this Ryder Cup (I was obsessed with rules before the tournament!), but I do think both that rule and the rule of being able to tie and “keep” the cup are outdated. Instead, I think the Ryder Cup should take a page from our advice Jessica Maxbury: The only name in the envelope should be the player (maybe?) who represented your team in the sudden-death shootout in the event of a draw.
3. Speaking of Hovland – Many people travel the world and see little beyond the four walls of airports, golf courses and hotel rooms. But not Hovland, who toured Delhi in a tuk-tuk and attended the tournament’s Diwali celebrations.
“The food is very different, just – everything is very different. It took a little getting used to, but I definitely embraced it this week because I really love going to new places, and India is definitely one of my favorite places I’ve ever been,” he said after finishing tied for sixth. “I love it.”
I don’t think Viktor Hovland hit a single shot in practice this week, just wandering around Derry Golf Club investigating graves pic.twitter.com/1fUrXLMZea
— Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) October 15, 2025
4. Keita NakajimaThe former long-time world No. 1 amateur was India’s 54-hole leader and finished second. It’s a feast or famine season for Nakajima on the DP World Tour. He finished second three times in 22 starts, finished in the top 11 another three times, and finished better than a tie for 40th only two other times. But he’s now just entering the bubble, earning one of the DP World Tour’s 10 2026 PGA Tour cards. He is ranked 101st in the world and is the second-ranked Japanese player in the world. Matsuyama Hideki.
5. A whopping 42% of Derry Golf Club’s short, tight, bush-covered courses are without a driver, including Fleetwood, Hovland and Rory McIlroy. This is certainly not a comprehensive solution to golf’s distance problem, but as someone who regularly plays Seattle Bowling Alley-style golf courses, I’ve seen Some The holes are too scary for these guys to hit driver.
6. The LPGA’s Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown begins this week, with late-night viewers on the West Coast able to watch (Saturday’s semifinals air at 7:30 p.m. ET on the Golf Channel, while Sunday’s final airs at midnight). I was struck by the evenness of the four-person group; women’s golf is huge in the U.S., but also in Japan, Korea, Australia, Thailand and Sweden, and has a “world team” as talented as anyone. (The absence of the world No. 2 will certainly affect the event as well Nellie Kordahe remains the sport’s biggest attraction. )
7. Neither is playing this week, but it’s interesting to see two Swedes at very different stages of their careers – Ludwig Aberg 25 years old and Alex Nolen 43 — 16th and 17th, right next to each other in OWGR.
8. This week’s Bank of Utah Championship might be my favorite fall course; it’s the most stunning red rock high desert golf course and should be fascinating to watch at night. This is a distinctly “autumn” area, Maverick McNeely, Michael Thorbjornsson and Noren are the most popular players in the tournament, but there are many names you will recognize during the game: Jason Day, Max Homa, Billy Horschel, Sathese Segarra, Joel Damen.
9. Good Good Golf announced they will sponsor next fall’s PGA Tour event in Austin. This is fascinating for one obvious reason – Wait, YouTubers are sponsoring tours now? ! – but also because it’s fun to see the tour continue to double down on the fall season and return to Austin.
10.Our Nick Piastowski and producer Darren Leal Visit Cedar Creek Correctional Center in Washington and learn about an inspiring story Golf behind the bar;This is worth your time.
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News from Seattle
Headquarters completed on Monday.
The Mariners entered Game 7 of the ALCS. The Seahawks are playing Monday Night Football. The weather is getting worse but oh boys Has sports gotten better? (Even Team Kraken is playing tonight!)
This feels like an extremely rare combination, especially since this is such a lovable Mariners team and the Seahawks are an unexpected surprise. I’ve always maintained my New England fandom, so I feel like it’s a little bit further away from being completely emotionally invested, but still – it’s awesome. Go miss
See you next week!
Dylan Dethier welcomes your comments at dylan_dethier@golf.com.
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