BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

September 9, 2025

Tommy Fleetwood

Wentworth Golf Club

Press Conference

BRIONY CARLYON: We are delighted to welcome Tommy Fleetwood to the BMW PGA Championship Media Centre.

Thanks for joining us, Tommy. It's obviously the first time you've been back on home soil after your recent victory in America. Just give us a sense of what it's been like to come home and enjoy the start of the week here.

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, it's good to be back. Had a nice last couple of weeks in the U.K. and it's always, I think the way that the sort of global schedule works now, I always enjoy coming back to this tournament and seeing faces that I don't see every week, anyway. It's kind of extra nice when you've got so many people saying "Well done" that you haven't seen. So that's really lovely.

Yeah, it's nice being back at work. I think this is our Flagship Event. I always think it's such a great event and quite a beautiful part of the world. Yeah, it feels nice to be somewhere familiar but also excited to get back to work.

BRIONY CARLYON: Also this week BMW and Wentworth and the Tour in partnership as the Official Charity with the Golf Foundation, and I know that you're an ambassador for them and involved in kids playing golf all over the world, and any event you go to, you really engage with the fans. But how much does it mean to be here this week showing off what you've done around the world to hopefully inspire this generation, as well?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, of course, I guess as you -- first of all, I guess as you grow in the game, it happens kind of naturally without you sort of thinking about it or being aware of it, but you do become more aware of the impact that you can have and that you do have by your actions and your golf and everything.

I think having a chance, you say an inspiration or inspire a generation or however people want to put it, just actually playing a role in kids taking up the game or learning something or watching or enjoying because of you, I think it's something really cool. I never really think of myself as that but if I do play a little role, that's great.

I do think -- I love the game of golf. I've lived my life from such a young age on the golf course and the practise grounds being around the game that I know the goods that the game can do.

So I'm always doing my best just to grow the game but also introduce as many people of all ages, really, to the game of golf because I think it helps.

Q. A few weeks removed from your win. How do you feel that it's maybe released the pressure that you and the media and everybody else have put on you?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, I'm not sure. I think it was definitely -- of all the emotions that come with that win, definitely relief was part of it. I was just glad that I got one over the line.

I'm still very aware that my golf game is the same. My golf game has not changed and my mindset has not changed throughout it all. Yeah, I think it was an amazing thing to achieve and an amazing tournament to win. And yeah, of course, I think there was a narrative, building, I guess, that I had been up there a lot and hadn't got it done.

But I always try and think in the right way and speak the right way, and I still think all of those things are relative. I would like to feel that it was that sort of journey to get my first PGA TOUR tournament. It took such a long time and I'm glad that that's done; it might take that long to win another.

But I think it's just nice that I'm sort of off that list, if you like, of people that hadn't won a PGA TOUR tournament. But my game and my mindset is still very much the same.

Q. At The Open, Xander, Scheffler, Rory, talked a little bit about you win, and two minutes later, you're on to the next week. Did you have time to celebrate, and how did you celebrate?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I enjoyed it more than I celebrated it. It was good to get home and see the family.

Yeah, you do move on. Life moves on quickly at the golf club. As soon as you finish on Sunday, new week starts on Monday and every single person that is out here playing on the Tour, I just focused on what they are doing in the following week.

Like I said, I enjoyed it. I didn't celebrate in a sort of mild manner. It was just a nice, enjoyable time to share with everyone.

But then, yeah, your mind moves towards such an amazing part of the season still to come. It's Ryder Cup season. We have that focus on. For me, I'm in quite a low position on The Race to Dubai, so I want to climb that, as well. There's always something else to focus on.

But I am excited about that, as well. It's nice to have those moments that you enjoy. A win is very special but then there's always something to focus on.

Q. How aware were you of the outpouring of all the words from Tiger Woods, LeBron James, Caitlin Clark. Was there anyone that really touched you?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I think the whole thing touched me more than anything, more than any particular person.

When I finished, you're in such a bubble, obviously, when you're playing and very focused on the day. And like I did the two or three hours of like commitments afterwards, a lot of people mentioned Tiger Woods Tweeted and LeBron James, and so throughout it all, I think that story built up quite a lot.

Throughout it all, I always just try to say the right things to myself and the right things outwardly and I try to have the best attitude possible and be the best example. I probably underestimated, like at the time, how much people appreciated it. I just thought it was the right thing to do and that's how you should be.

But yeah, for it to happen the way it did and for that story to build and eventually getting over the line and winning that one at East Lake, which is such a huge one, and to see the story and how people reacted, it was the coolest thing, it really, really was. I was just really touched by a lot of popular sort of journey any man that had come.

You kind of get lost in your bubble a little bit. Every week you get close to the finish line and I was there and it didn't quite happen. For me, it was build on the positives and reset from the negatives that didn't happen, learn from it and go again. I was hearing about it and talking about it but I wasn't aware of how many people were affected.

Q. Was there one particular one or famous person that really got to you?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Not really in particular. As usual, I think the reactions from my family, my closest people, and I think just having the opportunity to -- I think more than anything, like again, it's easy to tell the kids the right thing all the time. But again, being an example that it can happen for you if you keep going, I think more than anything, it was like, I had the opportunity to show my kids what can happen, and then like you can do it.

So I think that was the most important thing to me. That was the thing that touched me the most.

Q. Now that you've won in America, the one place you've not won is England as a professional. How much of an ambition is that? Obviously this is the biggest event you have on English soil outside of a major or The Open.

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, again, being at home and playing in front of home crowds, and I guess as a goal and a dream, you always picture those moments. The crowd is such a huge part of it and the emotional aspect of it.

Yeah, winning on home soil is very special. Look at last week. I think that was one of the coolest things to watch, and what a special moment that was. Pictured myself winning on the 18th green many, many times. Ultimate dream, I'm from Southport, I've got Open Championships that come close to home every few years, and like that is like the most powerful image for me.

So home crowds are a huge part of what we dream of and having opportunities, so yeah, that can be another one to add to the list of things that I haven't done yet but I'll continue to try.

Q. Going back to 2019 in Abu Dhabi you played with Bob MacIntyre in the final round, and you spoke highly of him then. Can you speak of how he's come on since then and the last two years since the last Ryder Cup?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, when you're playing with people, it's not that hard to spot, like, talent, when people are playing. There's players that come out, and when you're out on tour and playing with them, you judge them as the golfer they are. You can't judge them as a 20-year-old or 21-year-old. I think Bob was that for me. I think I said he was a very all-around accomplished golfer at that time, and it's not hard to spot a very good talent when you see it.

Bob, his growth, it's been really, really good. He won twice on the PGA TOUR last year. Again, unbelievably consistent year, and I think those steps -- you watch how he competed in the majors, and it's funny, last fall at the U.S. Open, the three-putted -- Bob would have been the U.S. Open champion. The margins are so small.

But the fact that he's there and competing shows he's one of the best players in the world, and you look at where he is now, such an asset to the European Team in the Ryder Cup and such a great person to have on the golf course and the team room.

Yeah, Bob just continues to grow from strength-to-strength and as a fellow European player or friend or colleague that's out with him week-in, week-out, he's one of those guys that you enjoy being around, and you enjoy someone that motivates you, as well.

Q. You referenced last Sunday the sort of inspirational scenes of kids getting excited when Rory holed his final putt. Guys to do well here talk about coming to Wentworth as kids. Did you come down here when you were a boy?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I did, actually. So I got invited, Ernie Els did a clinic, actually, and I was eight. He actually became my hero from that day forth because he just happens to speak to me. There was a group of I don't know how many kids and he happened to make eye contact and speak to me. From that point on, Ernie Els was always my hero and he still is, actually.

I don't remember anything about the tournament but I remember that specific clinic and Ernie doing that. Yeah, that was sort of what brought to my career. I just tried to swing it like him, and Ernie Els was my guy.

Q. Was that actually during the tournament?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah. I think it was one of the practise days, maybe.

Q. You explained very well the "what" that has happened to you in the last few months but those of us who have seen the popularity, can you put your modesty to one side and why they like you so much, indeed all people like you so much, but particularly in America?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Hopefully it's because I'm a nice person. I don't know. I've always tried to be myself. I have always said, I'm lucky that I connect with people well. Like I can actually connect with people, for whatever reason that is or however that goes.

You know, I've always been lucky with support that I get, and yeah, it's been very endearing, like the support that I get in America. You know, it's so hard when you talk personally about yourself and why people might enjoy watching you or people like you as a person.

But I've always been very lucky with that and always tried to be myself, and I've always tried to be a good person and a nice person. You know, people have enjoyed watching me play golf as well. I think there's a sense of predictability about what happens and people like that.

Yeah, I always try to have the best attitude, as well, and I just think that that's the right thing to attitude-wise and things, and then people seem to have liked it.

But you know, I don't know what it is in particular but I've always just connected with people well and just very lucky with that.

Q. At the Travelers, many people were very touched seeing you with your family but at THE TOUR Championship, why didn't the rest of your family come and how did you celebrate with them afterwards?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, so our middle boy, Mo, had a spinal operation just over a month ago now. So they were unable to travel. Actually the week of Memphis, they were in the hospital and he was recovering and they actually just got home before we got home. He had 3 1/2 weeks I think in the hospital.

Q. How did you celebrate after?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: We didn't celebrate in a classic style. I was really happy to come home. Like I made the flight. I got back to England. My form of celebration was just kind of being with my family and everyone. We could just enjoy the moment.

We didn't have to do anything particular. Didn't have to do anything like super, super special occasion. It was more I could be with my wife and my kids and our family around us, and just enjoy it all together. It was much less like a party. It was more all being together and just enjoying what had just happened, really.

BRIONY CARLYON: Thank you for your time and all the best.