Tommy Fleetwood thought about what his son, Frankie, said to him in every moment during Sunday’s final round at the DP World India Championship. Fleetwood is no stranger to winning, but he had never done it with little Frankie in attendance.
“You’ve never won a tournament and I’ve been able to run on to the 18th green,” Frankie told his dad last week. “I was like, I’m writing that down. I had that written down all week.”
And it came to fruition Sunday at Delhi Golf Club. Fleetwood won his eighth DP World Tour event, shooting 7-under 65 to beat 54-hole leader Keita Nakajima by two shots. It continues a strong run of play from Fleetwood, who won the Tour Championship in August and went 4-1 last month in helping Team Europe win the Ryder Cup in New York. But his latest win was the most impactful, especially when Frankie sprinted on the green to celebrate.
“It’s just one of those little things it means a lot to me. It means so much to me,” Fleetwood said. “That was really cool. That’s what I wanted to do all day.”
Fleetwood finished at 22 under on the week, topping a field that featured many top players in the world. Shane Lowry tied for third, Viktor Hovland placed T-6 and Michael Kim placed T-9. Rory McIlroy and Brian Harman tied for 26th.
It was the first time the DP World Tour had visited Delhi Golf Club, an extremely narrow course that took driver out of many player’s hands. But the unique test received high praise from many, including Fleetwood.
But even on a tricky course, Fleetwood had a motivating factor that is hard to top.
“I try and keep my eyes off him when I’m playing,” Fleetwood said of Frankie. “I try to focus on what I’m doing. But every now and again I’d have a look and I knew that was kind of what I was aiming for today. So that was a nice feeling on 18.”
🏌️♂️⛳️🏌️♀️ 😍 USE the BET9JA Promotion Code YOHAIG for a ₦100,000 Bonus!
