Tommy Fleetwood secured a long-awaited breakthrough PGA Tour title – on the 164th try – and claimed FedExCup victory with a formidable three-shot win on the season-ending Tour Championship.
Fleetwood took a share of the lead into the ultimate day at East Lake and by no means left the highest of the leaderboard, the place a two-under 68 was sufficient to carry off the chasing pack and declare the $10m (£7.39m) jackpot.
The Englishman blended 5 birdies with three bogeys to complete on 18 beneath forward of taking part in associate Patrick Cantlay and midway chief Russell Henley, with world No 1 Scottie Scheffler an extra shot again in tied-fourth.
A round-of-the-day 62 lifted Corey Conners to 14 beneath alongside Cam Younger and Scheffler, with Keegan Bradley an extra shot again in a share of seventh as he considers naming himself as a Ryder Cup captain’s decide for Crew USA.
Fleetwood’s success ends a run of near-misses in remaining rounds on the PGA Tour, together with on the Vacationers Championship and FedEx St Jude Championship in current months, with the win making him the primary participant in FedExCup historical past to make the Tour Championship his maiden title.
How Fleetwood made historical past with FedExCup victory
Cantlay instantly handed Fleetwood the benefit after bogeying the primary and double-bogeying the par-three subsequent, the place he took 4 putts from the perimeter and dropped again to 13 beneath.
Fleetwood made a 20-foot birdie on the second – the one one made all day on the opening – to double his lead over Henley, who had birdied the third, earlier than a poor tee shot led to the Englishman carding his first bogey of the day on the fifth.
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Patrick Cantlay’s hopes of profitable the Tour Championship had been dealt a blow as he four-putted on the second gap of his remaining spherical to register a double bogey
Bradley adopted a 15-foot birdie on the fourth by making the most of the par-five sixth to get inside one, just for Fleetwood to choose up a shot on the identical gap and one other birdie from 12 toes on the subsequent to leap three clear.
Fleetwood transformed from 10 toes to scramble an unlikely par on the driveable eighth gap, after having to take a drop close to a hospitality stand, with the world No 10 remaining three forward till he began his again 9 with a bogey.
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Scottie Scheffler hit his opening tee shot out of bounds earlier than impressively recovering to make simply bogey on the primary gap of his remaining spherical
A two-shot swing on the tenth noticed Cantlay make a six-foot birdie to quickly get again inside one, just for the 2021 FedExCup champion to bogey the par-three subsequent after being unable to rise up and down from the greenside bunker.
Cantlay drained a 20-foot birdie on the twelfth to change birdies with Fleetwood however was unable to transform from eight toes on the subsequent, the place his taking part in associate posted a second successive birdie to revive his three-shot cushion.
Cantlay was trying to be part of Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods as a a number of winner of the FedExCup
Fleetwood bogeyed the tough par-three fifteenth however had management when Cantlay dropped a shot on the subsequent and missed a 10-foot birdie try on the seventeenth, leaving him three forward heading to the par-five final.
Enormous crowds gathered as Fleetwood discovered the tough in two however pitched to 9 toes along with his third shot, the place he two-putted for a profitable par that sparked emotional celebrations on the 18th inexperienced.
Cantlay enhanced his hopes of a Ryder Cup decide with a tied-second end alongside Henley, whereas Scheffler’s efficiency included a record-equalling twenty first consecutive spherical within the 60s and the longest streak of top-eight finishes on the PGA Tour for the reason that Fifties.
Bradley shared tied-seventh with Justin Thomas and Sam Burns, two gamers who may very well be amongst his six captain’s picks for Crew USA once they’re introduced on Wednesday, whereas world No 2 Rory McIlroy ended the week in tied-Twenty third.
Rory McIlroy was chasing a historic fourth FedExCup victory
Fleetwood takes plaudits after emotional FedExCup win
Fleetwood had didn’t convert every of his earlier three 54-hole leads on the PGA Tour and got here into the week with extra top-five finishes with out a win than any participant within the final 40 years, however ends the marketing campaign with the most important victory of his profession thus far.
“You just keep learning, don’t you?” Fleetwood mentioned. “I believe this one, I suppose there was Vacationers, there was Memphis, clearly a lot earlier than. This wasn’t probably the most snug I have been as a result of, as they [misses] rack up, you clearly begin to think about the issues.
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Tommy Fleetwood reacts to profitable 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.
“While you’ve misplaced it so many occasions, a three-shot lead down the final does not really feel like that many! That is hopefully only one win, the primary of many to return. You can not win a lot in the event you do not win the primary one.”
What’s subsequent?
Bradley will announce the six captain’s decide to finish Crew USA’s Ryder Cup line-up on Wednesday, stay from 4pm on Sky Sports activities, forward of their conflict in opposition to Crew Europe at Bethpage Black from September 26-28.
The one PGA Tour occasion earlier than the Ryder Cup is the Procore Championship in California, held from September 11-14, the place the vast majority of Bradley’s American workforce are anticipated to compete. Stream the PGA Tour and extra with no contract.
