Fleetwood inspired by insulting tweet
Race to Dubai leader enters the final straight Rose and Garcia could make it a thrilling finish
One insulting tweet. That is all it took to inspire Tommy Fleetwood’s charge in the Race To Dubai and today he will begin his attempt to fend off two major winners to join the legendary names on the Harry Vardon Trophy.
Fleetwood has led the European Tour list for most of the year, but his candidature to top the European Tour’s order of merit money list has not impressed all. Sitting down in his house one night in March, Fleetwood logged on to Twitter.
“Someone had posted, ‘ Who do you think will win the Race to Dubai?’ and Phil Kenyon [Fleetwood’s putting coach] replied, ‘ What about the current leader?’ ” Fleetwood said. “Somebody else posted the giggling emoji. They laughed at the thought of me winning, so that motivated me. And when I won at Le Golf National [at the Open de France in July], that’s when I thought, ‘ You know, this is actually a real thing – I could win The Race to Dubai’. Yeah, I’ve been talking about it ever since.”
The talking will stop at 12.40pm local time here when he ventures out with his main rival for the prize at the Jumeirah Golf Estates for the first round of the DP World Tour Championship, the final event on the European Tour’s season.
The fact that it will be Justin Rose, another Englishman, alongside, obviously will add spice, as will Sergio Garcia’s presence in the group behind as the stalking horse who could prevail if he wins and the two outstanding favourites stumble. The absent Rory Mcilroy apart, it is everything the Tour and sponsors could wish for, as they seek to underline the Race To Dubai as one the game’s premier titles.
Garcia has obviously not assisted in this case by skipping the past three events and by choosing this, of all weeks, to test new clubs. But there can be no doubting the desire of Fleetwood and Rose. The latter won his one and, so far, only order of merit 10 years ago.
“I still think it’s one of my biggest achievements,” Rose said. “Any time you beat world-class players over a year, it is worth a lot more than winning in any one week.”
Fleetwood and Rose have both won twice this year, with Rose prevailing in the past two events he has contested (the WGC HSBC Champions three weeks ago and the Turkish Airlines Open two weeks ago). So, the world No 6 holds the momentum but Fleetwood holds a 256,000-point lead – and that is
what makes it seem such a fair and gripping fight.
However, for their parts, both agree that Fleetwood is in the box seat. “I’d still take Tommy’s chances,” Rose said. “I would put my money on me,” Fleetwood said.
Should Rose win, and he has finished second here in two of his five appearances, then where Fleetwood comes is irrelevant, and following his displays in Shanghai and Antalya it would take a brave person to bet against the 37-year-old gaining at least the top-five finish he requires to have a chance.