HE’S THE DADDY
New father Fleetwood is crowned Europe’s No1 as Lowry shoots stunning 63
EIGHTEEN months ago, Tommy Fleetwood was struggling so badly with his game he wanted to pull out of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. ‘I was embarrassed by my golf and scared what might happen,’ he recalled.
At the end of a nerve-shredding conclusion to the Race to Dubai yesterday, the 26-year-old from Southport completed his extraordinary transformation by winning the season-long competition and joining the list of European greats who adorn the Harry Vardon Trophy.
On a perfect day for scoring, Ireland’s Shane Lowry added to the drama by shooting his lowest round since 2011, a sparkling 63 that lifted him to tie second with Kiradech Aphibarnrat.
‘I felt good out there,’ Lowry (below) said. ‘I’m chuffed to shoot it. My iron play has been great over the last few weeks; I’ve given myself lots of chances.’
When the Race to Dubai began last November, Fleetwood had never been inside the top 10 of any edition during his career. No wonder he looked somewhat stunned and unable to fully comprehend his achievement as he contemplated his new status as the standard bearer of the European Tour. ‘What I do know is it’s by far the biggest day of my career, even if it will take a while to sink in,’ he said. In the end, he need a little help from Justin Rose at the season finale, the DP World Tour Championship. The 37-year-old discovered over the final seven holes that not even all he’s achieved provided protection from the devastating attack of the jitters he suffered with the finish line in sight. A man who had registered just three bogeys over his first 65 holes had three more in the next five to see not only the tournament — won by Spaniard Jon Rahm — but the main prize of the Order of Merit, as it used to be known, slip agonizingly from his grasp. Even two bogeys would have been enough to clamber over the line for the latter trophy. That’s how fine the margin was at the end of 47 tournaments between the disbelieving winner and a runner-up wondering how on earth he’d thrown it all away, and you could tell from his ashen face this was another that will really sting.
As for the victor, what a journey it has been, one that really took off down the road from here in Abu Dhabi in January, when he held off world No1 Dustin Johnson to win his first title in four years.
Fleetwood challenged for his first major, the US Open in June, and then won the French Open. That was the day he decided to put his heart and soul into winning the Order of Merit. Not even the joy of becoming a father for the first time in September could deflect him, as he embarked on a punishing run of six tournaments in seven weeks, including a mammoth amount of travel.
It’s rather appropriate that in the end his victory could be chalked up to the effort he made to travel to the penultimate event in South Africa, with the money he won for finishing tenth ultimately proving the difference.
Back to back 65s had set up the Sunday showdown with Rose but it was no surprise the experienced man held all the aces early on. Rose looked bullet proof, and a cast-iron certainty. By contrast, all the life drained from Fleetwood and a flurry of late mistakes meant he signed for a 74. Now all he could do was wait.
Yet out on the course, to universal astonishment, Mr Bullet Proof had shot himself in the foot. A bogey at the 12th was followed by a terrible error at the par five 14th, where his second shot finished in the water. A tiddler missed on that hole was followed by another at the 16th.
Rose gathered himself and almost holed a bunker shot at the 17th. At the 18th, he struck a wonderful second shot to the front of the green. Now it all came down to one shot. If Rose could sink the lengthy eagle putt he left himself, he would still win the Race to Dubai. If he missed, he would lose out. It went close enough to register a birdie, but to Rose it must have felt like it finished a million miles away.
‘I’m not sure I can explain it right now but I guess I just hit a wall,’ said Rose.
For Fleetwood, his success gave this memorable golf year its fairytale ending.