Tommy Fleetwood secured a long-awaited breakthrough PGA Tour title – at the 164th attempt – and claimed FedExCup victory with an impressive three-shot win at the season-ending Tour Championship.
Fleetwood took a share of the lead into the final day at East Lake and never left the top of the leaderboard, where a two-under 68 was enough to hold off the chasing pack and claim the $10m (£7.39m) jackpot.
The Englishman mixed five birdies with three bogeys to finish on 18 under ahead of playing partner Patrick Cantlay and halfway leader Russell Henley, with world No 1 Scottie Scheffler a further shot back in tied-fourth.
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Relive the moment Tommy Fleetwood closed out victory at the Tour Championship, his maiden PGA Tour title at the 164th attempt
A round-of-the-day 62 lifted Corey Conners to 14 under alongside Cam Young and Scheffler, with Keegan Bradley a further shot back in a share of seventh as he considers naming himself as a Ryder Cup captain’s pick for Team USA.
Fleetwood’s success ends a run of near-misses in final rounds on the PGA Tour, including at the Travelers Championship and FedEx St Jude Championship in recent months, with the win making him the first player in FedExCup history to make the Tour Championship his maiden title.
How Fleetwood made history with FedExCup victory
Cantlay immediately handed Fleetwood the advantage after bogeying the first and double-bogeying the par-three next, where he took four putts from the fringe and dropped back to 13 under.
Fleetwood made a 20-foot birdie at the second – the only one made all day on the hole – to double his lead over Henley, who had birdied the third, before a poor tee shot led to the Englishman carding his first bogey of the day at the fifth.
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Patrick Cantlay’s hopes of winning the Tour Championship were dealt a blow as he four-putted on the second hole of his final round to register a double bogey
Bradley followed a 15-foot birdie at the fourth by taking advantage of the par-five sixth to get within one, only for Fleetwood to pick up a shot on the same hole and another birdie from 12 feet at the next to jump three clear.
Fleetwood converted from 10 feet to scramble an unlikely par at the driveable eighth hole, after having to take a drop near a hospitality stand, with the world No 10 remaining three ahead until he started his back nine with a bogey.
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Scottie Scheffler hit his opening tee shot out of bounds before impressively recovering to make just bogey on the first hole of his final round
A two-shot swing at the tenth saw Cantlay make a six-foot birdie to temporarily get back within one, only for the 2021 FedExCup champion to bogey the par-three next after being unable to get up and down from the greenside bunker.
Cantlay drained a 20-foot birdie at the 12th to exchange birdies with Fleetwood but was unable to convert from eight feet at the next, where his playing partner posted a second successive birdie to restore his three-shot cushion.
Cantlay was looking to join Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods as a multiple winner of the FedExCup
Fleetwood bogeyed the tricky par-three 15th but had control when Cantlay dropped a shot at the next and missed a 10-foot birdie attempt at the 17th, leaving him three ahead heading to the par-five last.
Huge crowds gathered as Fleetwood found the rough in two but pitched to nine feet with his third shot, where he two-putted for a winning par that sparked emotional celebrations on the 18th green.
Cantlay enhanced his hopes of a Ryder Cup pick with a tied-second finish alongside Henley, while Scheffler’s performance included a record-equalling 21st consecutive round in the 60s and the longest streak of top-eight finishes on the PGA Tour since the 1950s.
Bradley shared tied-seventh with Justin Thomas and Sam Burns, two players who could be among his six captain’s picks for Team USA when they’re announced on Wednesday, while world No 2 Rory McIlroy ended the week in tied-23rd.
Rory McIlroy was chasing a historic fourth FedExCup victory
Fleetwood takes plaudits after emotional FedExCup win
Fleetwood had failed to convert each of his previous three 54-hole leads on the PGA Tour and came into the week with more top-five finishes without a win than any player in the last 40 years, but ends the campaign with the biggest victory of his career to date.
“You just keep learning, don’t you?” Fleetwood said. “I think this one, I guess there was Travelers, there was Memphis, obviously plenty before. This wasn’t the most comfortable I’ve been because, as they [misses] rack up, you obviously start to think of the things.
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Tommy Fleetwood reacts to winning his first PGA title, the Tour Championship, at East Lake Golf Course
“I feel like I’ve had a great attitude throughout it all. I was a bit erratic today at times, and I was really proud of how I found my swing again on the 11th hole, 12th hole. Changed my routine a little bit.
“When you’ve lost it so many times, a three-shot lead down the last doesn’t feel like that many! This is hopefully just one win, the first of many to come. You cannot win plenty if you don’t win the first one.”
What’s next?
Bradley will announce the six captain’s pick to complete Team USA’s Ryder Cup line-up on Wednesday, live from 4pm on Sky Sports, ahead of their clash against Team Europe at Bethpage Black from September 26-28.
The only PGA Tour event before the Ryder Cup is the Procore Championship in California, held from September 11-14, where the majority of Bradley’s American team are expected to compete. Stream the PGA Tour and more with no contract.
