Fleetwood wins Tour Championship for first PGA Tour title

Tour Championship, last leaderboard

-18 T Fleetwood (Eng); -15 P Cantlay (US), R Henley (US); -14 S Scheffler (US), C Conners (Can), C Young (US)

Selected: -13 J Thomas (US), K Bradley (US); -11 V Hovland (Nor); -10 S Lowry (Ire); -9 R MacIntyre (Sco); -7 J Rose (Eng); -6 R McIlroy (NI)

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Tommy Fleetwood held his nervus to triumph nan Tour Championship and yet declare a first PGA Tour title astatine nan 164th clip of asking.

Emotion poured retired of nan 34-year-old Englishman aft he holed nan winning putt connected nan 18th green, saluting a crowd who chanted "Tommy, Tommy, Tommy" by raising some arms earlier letting retired a immense roar.

His European Ryder Cup team-mate and friend Justin Rose was greenside to movie nan last putt and celebrations connected his telephone arsenic Fleetwood wrapped up a three-shot triumph connected 18 nether par to unafraid nan FedEx Cup and a $10m (£7.4m) first prize.

"When you've mislaid truthful galore times, a three-shot lead down nan past doesn't consciousness for illustration that many," joked Fleetwood, who had tears successful his eyes.

"[The fans] are amazing, it makes maine a spot emotional. I'm truthful fortunate pinch nan support I get - it's truthful typical and I dream everyone knows really grateful I americium for it."

It is an eighth profession title for Fleetwood, whose erstwhile 7 came connected nan European-based DP World Tour, and intends he has shaken disconnected nan unwanted tag of being nan astir man of nan American circuit.

Two times antecedently this play he had either led, aliases jointly led aft 3 rounds without completing nan victory. He has had 30 top-five finishes complete his profession - six this twelvemonth - which was nan astir of anyone without a win.

"You conscionable support learning," said Fleetwood, who is group to amended to sixth successful nan world rankings erstwhile they are updated connected Monday. "This astir apt wasn't nan astir comfortable because, arsenic they rack up, you evidently commencement to deliberation of things.

"But I consciousness for illustration I've had a awesome cognition passim it all. This is hopefully conscionable 1 win, nan first of many. You cannot triumph plentifulness if you don't triumph nan first one."

He becomes nan first subordinate successful nan FedEx Cup era - which goes backmost to 2007 - to declare his breakthrough PGA Tour title astatine nan Tour Championship and he is nan 2nd Englishman to triumph it, aft Rose successful 2018.

Fleetwood is besides nan first subordinate to decorativeness wrong nan apical six of nan leaderboard aft each information of nan FedEx Cup play-offs and he ended nan three-tournament end-of-season bid pinch an aggregate people of 43 nether par complete nan 12 rounds.

And he secured this triumph pinch an assuredness that will springiness European play fans a immense boost pinch adjacent month's Ryder Cup successful New York looming ample connected nan horizon.

The Southport-born golfer is 1 of nan astir celebrated players successful nan athletics and arsenic good arsenic nan acclaim of his legions of fans, his triumph was lauded by 15-time awesome victor Tiger Woods.

The erstwhile world number 1 posted connected X: "Your travel is simply a reminder that difficult work, resilience, and bosom do salary off. No 1 deserves it more. Congrats."

Woods' sentiment was echoed by hoops fable LeBron James who wrote: "Congrats @TommyFleetwood1!!! That first 1 emotion is thing else."

Perhaps nan connection that whitethorn nan mean astir came from his favourite Premier League shot team: "Lifelong Evertonian. PGA Tour title winner. Congratulations @TommyFleetwood1".

Meanwhile, Rose wrote connected Instagram: "This felt arsenic bully arsenic winning myself! So happy for my man @officialtommyfleetwood for nan relentless unit cooker his value play has put him successful during these play-offs and location is nary much deserving champ."

Fleetwood himself was keen to connection acknowledgment for nan support he has received complete nan years while trying to get a first triumph connected nan PGA Tour complete nan line.

"I've been a PGA Tour victor for a agelong time, it's conscionable been successful my mind," he said.

"I dream I ever make it clear really grateful I americium for nan support. There are times erstwhile I've felt beautiful shocking stepping disconnected nan play course, and nan support from group helped maine immensely."

Having been nan associated leader heading into Sunday, he burst into an early lead and ne'er trailed, overcoming a flimsy wobble midway done nan information arsenic he repelled challenges from defending champion Scottie Scheffler and erstwhile victor Patrick Cantlay.

His fame was clear to perceive connected nan first tee astatine Atlanta's East Lake people erstwhile he was fixed a acold louder ovation than American Cantlay.

The brace were successful nan last group and locked astatine 16 nether aft nan first 3 rounds, but Fleetwood was 4 clear of his playing partner wrong 2 holes aft he birdied nan second, while Cantlay - who won this title successful 2021 - opened pinch a bogey and double bogey.

Scheffler's situation was dealt a setback connected nan first erstwhile nan world number one, who was starting 4 shots adrift, deed his opening tee changeable retired of bounds.

But immoderate thoughts that Fleetwood would stroll to nan title were checked by a bogey connected nan fifth.

Bounce-back birdies connected nan sixth and seventh moved him 3 clear pinch 9 to play, but nan play was acold from over.

A bogey connected nan 10th, coupled pinch a Cantlay birdie, saw his lead reduced to one. And nan brace were besides asked to summation their velocity of play, fixed they had fallen almost 2 holes down nan group successful front.

Fleetwood pushed his lead backmost retired to 2 pinch birdies connected nan 12th and 13th holes.

But Scheffler, a victor of nan Open Championship and US PGA Championship this year, was still lurking. A birdie connected nan 14th lifted Scheffler to 15 nether and 2 back, However, his situation yet ended successful nan h2o connected nan par-three 15th arsenic he posted a double-bogey five.

Moments later US Ryder Cup skipper Keegan Bradley's hopes suffered nan aforesaid destiny connected nan aforesaid hole.

Bradley, who will connected Wednesday determine whether to prime himself among his six selections for adjacent month's 45th staging of nan Ryder Cup, astatine Bethpage Black, flirted pinch nan apical of nan leaderboard passim Sunday earlier dumping his tee changeable into nan lake.

He had denied Fleetwood a first triumph astatine nan Travelers Championship successful June but ran retired of steam successful Atlanta arsenic he closed pinch a level-par 70 and 13-under total.

On a reliable time astatine nan Travelers, Fleetwood coughed up a two-shot lead pinch 3 to play.

A bogey connected nan 15th connected this typical Sunday meant he held that aforesaid lead, albeit complete Cantlay.

However, Cantlay past dropped a changeable astatine nan 16th and Fleetwood was 3 clear pinch 2 to play, and that soon go a much comfortable 3 clear pinch 1 to play.

All nan same, Fleetwood said he was incapable to relax until his shot was connected nan green.

"Once I'd duffed that spot connected to nan greenish astatine 18 to astir 8 feet, I felt beautiful safe from there," he said pinch a smile.

Bradley's playing partner Russell Henley besides hung astir without making immoderate important moves. He missed galore birdie putts successful a one-under 69 that near him associated 2nd pinch Cantlay connected 15 under.

Scheffler vanished a changeable further back, though he had nan consolation of equalling Cantlay's PGA Tour grounds of shooting 21 successive rounds successful nan 60s. He was joined connected 14 nether by Canada's Corey Conners who had a bogey-free eight-under 62, nan debased information of nan day.