TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 24, 2025

Tommy Fleetwood

East Lake Golf Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome our 2025 FedExCup champion Tommy Fleetwood to the interview room here at the TOUR Championship. Kind of a whirlwind finish. How are you feeling right now?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, I'm good. I'm good. Yeah, I think a mix of emotions from -- yeah, proud, relieved, happy. There's a ton of emotions that I'll probably be feeling. It doesn't sink in for a while. Winning doesn't sink in for a while. But what an amazing day.

Q. You had a lot of time on that back nine to walk between the holes and walk between the shots. Walk us through what you're thinking in your mind as you're walking there, particularly walking up to 15.

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Well, I felt like I'd lost my swing really. I got a bit erratic from the 5th. I felt like I started the round off really well, really solid, did all the right things. Then I hit two really poor mini-drivers, 5 and 8, but I felt like I'd lost my swing a little bit, lost my timing, lost my transition, hit a big hook off the 10th, and all my focus kind of went into my rehearsals, changed my rehearsals a little bit, changed my tempo, tried to find my transition a bit. All my focus kind of went into that.

You're always kind of aware, no matter how present you try and stay, you're always kind of aware of the ebbs and flows of how it's going.

The one thing I've done so well in the last few weeks when I've had the near misses is I've done really well in a tournament up until the closing few holes and then you have to walk to the 15th tee and stand up on that. I said before, I really dislike the 15th shot. The angle of it doesn't fit my eye very well. It's a very, very tough shot. I was really pleased with the swing that I put on that.

I was just really focused on sort of where my swing was at and trying to feel like I was doing the right things, as well as managing everything else, whether it be your expectations, whether it be the doubt that's creeping in after the last few times that it's not gone my way, and also dealing with the sort of reality of it felt like it was -- the door was getting further and further open for me as the round went on, and sort of trying to stay level-headed about it.

Q. You've talked about learning throughout the entire process. What did you learn about yourself through all the near misses, especially the last few weeks keep coming back?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I think it's easy for anybody to say that they are resilient, that they bounce back, that they have fight. It's different when you actually have to prove it. There's different types of mental strength. I've clearly got things wrong in the dire moments of tournaments, and I might have made the odd dodgy decision, might have put a bad swing on it.

But I've had to have mental strength in a different way. I've had to be resilient in terms of putting myself back up there, getting myself back in that position, no matter how many times it doesn't go my way, no matter how many doubts might creep in. Think the right things, say the right things to yourself, say the right things outwardly, and I am really pleased that I can be proof that if you do all the right things and you just keep going that it can happen.

Q. Now that it doesn't matter, was there a time during the near misses where you thought, this might never happen? Did those moments exist?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Not really. The smallest thoughts creep in. But I -- no, I never really felt like it wouldn't happen. But there's always doubt there. But I always sort of had belief in myself that you keep knocking on the door, you keep putting yourself up there, you keep playing well, keep learning from all the near misses and keep putting that into action in the next tournament or the next tournament or the next time you get a chance, see what is going to happen. The people that win the most -- I always feel like if you look at what the best players do and try and copy it -- whether you're as good as them or not is a different story, but if you watch what they do and you copy them as much as possible, I think that's a good way to go.

I think that the guys that win the most, they're in contention so much; they're up there all the time. That's where I want to be. I want to be up there. It's taken me a while to get this done, like to get this first win. I've never looked at it as just trying to win once. I've always had the mindset that I want to win multiple. I want to win plenty. It's just that the first one seems to have taken a long time. The next one might take a long time; I don't know.

But I've always had the mindset that I just want to be one of the best players in the world, I want to keep putting myself in contention, and yeah, I always felt like it would probably happen.

Q. What do you think the broader lesson is for sports people who are trying so hard to get over a line and can't do it? You'll be an inspiration to them.

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, I think people have different ways of inspiring, and I guess that my -- however big or small my inspiring story might be, it was just a story of perseverance and continuing to try and put myself in those positions. I think the easiest thing to do when it doesn't go your way is to sulk a little bit or to let it affect you for a little while, then get back to it. Use excuses if you like, but I said every single time that it didn't happen for me or where I'd let one go or where someone beat me, I just want to get there again. I just want to give myself another chance.

I felt like I did that, and I felt like people -- at the time, like, you just do it, but I think people have appreciated that side of it. I think people have, I guess, found it very positive that I've constantly tried to just get back on the horse, just go again, just go again.

Like I say, again, it's almost easy to say now I'm really pleased that it's happened now, but if it didn't happen today, I would have said the same things. I would have said, I just want another chance; I'm just going to go back and work and I'm just going to go again. I've had the opportunity to prove that, that if you just keep going, it can happen. I guess that's my story.

Q. You talk about wanting to be the best player in the world or one of the best players. Did you always feel like you had to win in America to start that process or move that along to what you wanted?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yes and no. I think it was definitely -- it's a step in everybody's career that they want to make. I think I'm proud -- whether I'd won or not, I think I was always proud of the consistency of the level that I've played for a long time, and I took a lot of pride in that.

But yeah, I think winning on the PGA TOUR was a step that I really wanted to take. You don't need anything, but I wanted it. I wanted to do it.

Again, I go back to it, this one win, it sort of -- it completes the story of the near misses and it has a crescendo to what has been building towards the back end of the season. But when I go home, I'm just going to start practicing again. I'm going to start working again, and I'm going to look towards the next tournament.

There is always that side to it. I take immense pride in trying to compete with these guys out here. Very proud of playing on the PGA TOUR. I'm very proud of getting to these events and playing against all these amazing players.

But yeah, I think winning on the PGA TOUR was a step that I wanted to make, and hopefully it doesn't take me as long to win another one.

Q. What were lessons from Travelers and Memphis that you applied to today, and how so?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I think there was more positives than negatives, and I think I took away that I did so many good things until the dying moments of the tournaments.

At Travelers, I was a couple of decisions out, a couple of half clubs, a bit messy on the last. The 18th hole at the Travelers went as bad as it could have possibly gone for me. That one I felt like I gave away, even though I also feel like Keegan won it as well. I won't take anything away from him.

I also think in Memphis, again, you look at the most recent one, I did so many good things. I putted so well. I scrambled when I had to. I played well on that Sunday and took control of the tournament again with three holes to go, and I didn't hit the shots that were required to finish the tournament off.

But I took away a lot of the good stuff that I did, and I did actually start today very similar to the other days as well.

I just had to keep gaining experience, keep putting myself there. I think I did an amazing job today of -- like I said, I had to reset myself. It wasn't easy today; it wasn't plain sailing. I lost my swing in the middle of the round. I was really erratic, and I had to find my swing, really under --

I don't think trying to win a tournament is as much pressure as trying to keep your playing rights, things like that. It's a different type of pressure. I'm not going to say it's bigger or less, it's just a different type of pressure. It's a joy to be in contention and try and win golf tournaments.

But at the same time, you have to deal with those little demons that are in the back of your mind, and doubt creeps in. You remember what you got wrong, don't want to get it wrong again, and you have to force yourself to think of the positives.

I think I really did a good job of really focusing on trying to put a good swing and trying to hit a good shot on especially 15, 16, 17. The rhythm that I put on those swings, I was really, really pleased with. I leaned back on that really.

I think just as experience builds, at some point you're going to get it right, and I did today.

Q. Oscar seemed a lot more emotional than you did. What does that tell you, do you think, about how hard people wanted it for you? And why do you think everyone likes you so much?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I don't know about the last question. Yeah, Oscar is a big emotional little baba, really.

At the Ryder Cup in Italy, he was one of the first people that I saw after walking off the course in the singles, and he was in tears then, and it's like, he's just -- yeah.

I'm so blessed with the family that I have and the love that surrounds me and the support that I get that it just makes everything that much easier really, whether it goes good or bad. Whatever would have happened today, I would have walked off the 18th hole, and Oscar would have given me a hug. And we'd have gone home, and everything would have been great, like everything would have been fine.

I would have been gutted, we'd have all been gutted and hurt a little bit, but life would still have been great, and I think that's something that I would never take for granted.

But I'm so lucky with -- you say why do people like me so much? I've always been very lucky that I make a great connection with people. I try and be -- if I could give my kids one piece of advice -- there's tons of advice, but I always tell them to be a good person first, and I've always tried to do that.

My dad always told me that, even when I was a young, aspiring amateur golfer, professional golfer, he always wanted me to be -- he always said person first, golfer second. You're a good person first. Whatever happens after that, you try to be a good golfer second. I've always tried to be that.

Q. Do you think the level of popularity you have is a result of the tough losses that you've endured?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I think definitely people have gathered on the train that has been me trying to chase a PGA TOUR win. Like I say, I've tried to -- a lot of it I do -- you say the right things firstly for yourself. I'm not going to come off, when I've had those near misses, and berate myself and make it worse. I want to be a positive impact on myself.

I know that what I want to do is get in contention again, I want to play against the best players in the world and I want to win the biggest tournaments. I'm not going to be able to do that if I have a negative attitude, if I have a poor attitude.

I try to be positive about everything and say the right things inwardly and outwardly, and then I guess people liked what I was saying. They liked the attitude that I had.

Again, I go back to my kids. That's the things that I want those to be like. Again, it's easy to say that you're resilient, but it's harder when you have to be resilient, and I think I feel lucky that I've had to show that side of myself. I feel lucky it actually paid off and that I won.

But yeah, I've been -- it's been great, the buzz that has been around me when I've been in contention. I've played unbelievable golf the last few weeks, the last couple months, the last year, very consistent. But to have that buzz and to have the support here, like just to have people chanting your name coming down the last few holes, for people to be carrying you on their shoulders is a very, very special feeling, and I would never take it for granted.

Q. What were the emotions like on the 18th green? You let out quite the yell there. Can you just walk us through what that actually felt like?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, I guess the first thing was probably, like, take a breath, be a bit relieved that I finally got it over the line this time and that I can move forward with trying to win multiple rather than just trying to win one.

But it's great. Down that last hole -- I was hitting such good shots on the back nine -- but it was always such a big effort. Nothing was flowing for me. I had to really work hard at it. When you've had as many near misses as I've had, three-shot lead doesn't feel like that many even on a par-5 when I've striped it down the -- you know, I'm in play.

Yeah, so I think I was -- and also, for the last two or three holes, you could kind of -- you do get a sense of the ebb and flow of the tournament, door was just getting wider and wider. It definitely looked like it was finally my time but then don't want to get ahead of yourself. You've still got to hit the golf shots.

Just proud to have shown that it's possible if you just keep going. I'm sure there was plenty of people -- as much as there was people supporting me, I'm sure there was plenty of people that were doubting me as well. I think just to prove that if you have the right attitude and you keep going that good things can happen.

Q. You mentioned you get those doubts that start to creep into your mind, but when they come, have you learned to recognize them, or do you try to erase them? What's the strategy there?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: They're just feelings. They're just thoughts. They don't need to have any impact on how you play or how you execute the next golf shot. But they're just as real as anything else that's going on.

You just learn that they're going to come, that they're going to happen. Next time I'm in contention, I'll have doubts again and I'll deal with it. I'll have my positive thoughts. I'll have my confident thoughts. I'll have my doubts. It's just reality. It just is what it is.

The hardest thing was when you've had as many -- the near misses, that the doubts -- there's going to be more doubts than usual, if you like.

Like I say, always speak to yourself in the right way, always try and do the right things. Feelings are feelings; the golf ball doesn't know any different. Just try and put a good swing on it.

Q. Curious, now that it's all said and done, how glad are you that we're not going to keep asking you about getting the first win here?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Well, it's a shame that the story is gone. (Laughter.)

I enjoyed it while it lasted in a sick way. But I hope that I can give -- that we can talk about plenty more things in the future, really. I will look back at all of this, and again, I feel like I keep repeating myself. I'll be proud of the strength that I had to show to keep coming back and showing that it can be done if you're resilient enough and you keep putting yourself in those positions.

I'll look back at it and I'll be able to tell people that I am really, really pleased that I get to talk to kids or aspiring golfers or aspiring sports people, whatever they're trying to do, and I can genuinely talk about showing resilience or keep coming back after tough losses and keep working and all of those things and the skills that you have to use in order to put yourself there again and then finally get it done. I'm really, really pleased that I get to do that and that I'm proof that it can happen.

I'll miss talking about it, but I'll be glad that I can talk to people about what can be done.

Q. People might have chopped and changed caddies after a lot of near misses. What's it like to have your mate beside you?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, of course, and like I say, I'm sure Finno had doubts about himself. I think it's only natural, I think, that people look at what they think you need to do to improve and what you should do and how you should go about it.

I'm never -- I never get sort of too emotionally involved in what people say. I think a lot of it comes from support as well. I think people probably want the best for you at times.

But for me, I've been doing so many good things, and I think, yeah, there's been plenty of times where it's not quite happened. We've either got something wrong, somebody has beaten us or whatever it is. But you also have to focus on the ton of positives that were there. There was more good than bad. Just hadn't quite got over the line.

But I've spent the last few weeks now being where every player that tees it up wants to be, so there were so many good things. Yeah, it's great -- it was great walking down the 18th -- I would have kind of liked to have enjoy it more with him, but I was going into this mental cocoon of trying to get through that 18th hole and I was very much head down and zoned in and let's get the job done.

I would have liked to have enjoyed it a little bit more with him, but we had those moments on the last green. The crowds were amazing. I got to help Finno get to have those pictures forever, and it's another accomplishment for us two as a team.