Tommy Fleetwood arrives at East Lake as relatable contender on brink of greatness

The widespread euphoria that surrounded Rory McIlroy’s Masters triumph served as the finest example of a moment when golf observers want a player to win. This, after all, is supposed to be a non-tribal environment aside from the weekend every two years when Europe face USA and people on either side of the ropes take leave of their senses.

Golf’s next pursuit of the holy grail belongs to Tommy Fleetwood. Defeat from positions of strength at the Travelers and St Jude championships threw up an unwanted statistic. In 163 PGA Tour starts, Fleetwood is yet to emerge victorious. As striking as that raw number – Fleetwood’s talent is such that one assumes he should have claimed a batch of trophies in the US – is the fact people are willing him to end his drought. Fleetwood is relatable, likable, popular. He also has no objection to the discussion presently whirling around him.

“I’m not going to feed you lies and say: ‘Oh, in Memphis I thought I did everything great, or Travelers I didn’t do anything wrong,’” Fleetwood said. “Of course I got things wrong down the stretch and it didn’t happen for me.

“You learn from those experiences. I would rather you be questioning me about not finishing tournaments off than not questioning me at all about anything. So I’ve obviously shown a lot of really good stuff and put myself in great positions.

“I just want to put myself there again. I want to give myself another chance. I’ll finish it off at some point. I’ll get it right and I’ll get it right more than once. But being there is actually the hard part, in a way.

“I don’t feel like I have to rattle off all the good stuff. I just need to be aware of it, know that I’m doing the right things and know that there’s still things that I can get better. I use the disappointments as motivation and I use the good stuff as confidence boosting.”

At East Lake this week, another PGA Tour season will conclude. Scottie Scheffler will look to press his dominance of the game by lifting the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup.

Just as fate eventually smiled on McIlroy, a two-hour drive away in April, could it finally be Tommy’s time? His reliability and close shave history is emphasised by six runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour, the same number of thirds, 30 top 50s and 44 top 10s. He is the 10th-ranked player in the world. “Best case scenario coming down the stretch at East Lake with a chance to win,” Fleetwood said.

“Whether I get it right or not, whether it happens or not, whether someone plays better or not, I’ll talk about that at the time. But I would love to get there and give myself that chance again.”

The 34-year-old has not been burned by falling short. “It’s funny really, you walk off the course on Sunday last week and I was happier with a fourth place finish than I was with a third in Memphis,” Fleetwood said.

“It’s a strange game that way. I am very happy with the consistency of my golf and the level I’ve been playing at. Golf is a crazy game. You never know what you’re going to turn up with week in and week out but this year has been a very good year.”

Fleetwood knows how to get over the line. He has done it eight times elsewhere in the world. He has been successful when involved in tight scraps. The nature of recent events, as opposed to core results, is what has brought Fleetwood’s situation into sharp focus. He missed out on a playoff in Memphis by a shot, having led by two with three holes to play.

At the Travelers, Keegan Bradley usurped Fleetwood after the Southport man three-putted the 72nd hole. Fleetwood was clearly dejected during post-tournament media duties at both but there was no raw moment, no smashed club, no fist through a window. Yes, the smile had vanished but not for long.

“I get disappointed and I get angry,” Fleetwood said. “I’ve thrown the odd club in the water when I’m out there and maybe feel a bit better for a while. But I’m not that great at being angry. It just doesn’t suit me. I just kind of let it go. I work really hard on letting things go, moving on. Not that much great comes from those moments of anger.

“But like I say, like anybody, I get disappointed, I get frustrated, I get angry. I doubt myself. Of course I do. It’s all part of being a professional athlete and part of trying to chase your dreams and accomplish great things against unbelievable golfers.”