Tommy Fleetwood told what he needs to do next time he’s leading on the PGA Tour to ensure he wins

Tommy Fleetwood does not need to prove his talent at the highest level. He has been one of the PGA Tour‘s most impressive players for a number of years. However, it has baffled many that he has been unable to take that next step and win stateside.

Of course, there was an agonising finish for Fleetwood at the Travelers Championship, with Keegan Bradley making the most of the 34-year-old stumbling across the line.

And history somewhat repeated itself on Sunday. Fleetwood had the first FedEx Cup playoff event in his grasp, despite having Scottie Scheffler chasing him down in Memphis.

Tommy Fleetwood told what he needs to do to finally win a PGA Tour event

However, two rounds of 69 over the weekend opened the door for Justin Rose and J.J. Spaun to overtake Fleetwood and set up a dramatic playoff at TPC Southwind.

Fleetwood made three birdies and two bogeys in his final round. And just when his rivals were putting their foot on the accelerator and dashing for the line, Fleetwood was unable to find that next gear.

And speaking on Sky Sports after Rose beat Spaun in the playoff, David Howell analysed where it seemed to go wrong for Fleetwood.

Photo by Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
“He didn’t do a lot wrong. It’s the hardest thing in the world. At 14, the par-three, I thought he played the right shot. There’s water to the right, he played safely to the front left,” he said.

“Justin Rose was out of it at that stage. He just goes for it with the six iron and if it goes wrong, he will finish 10th. He makes birdie and ends up the victor.

“Could Tommy maybe have gone at it with abandon, just go with it. But it’s so hard to do because you want to play smart and strategic. We hear that about Scheffler all the time. I thought it was the right play.

“Maybe next time the key is to play like you are one behind even when you are one in front. Someone said that to me recently and I thought that is so wise. But boy is that hard to do.”

Tommy Fleetwood’s statistics during the final round at the FedEx St. Jude Championship

Fleetwood’s performance on Sunday in particular was a little baffling. It just appeared that he was getting in his own way at a time when he had an opportunity to make a real statement.

And unfortunately, he proved to be among the worst players in the field in a couple of different strokes gained categories during the final round.

The upside for Fleetwood is that he has now secured his spot at the Ryder Cup. And you would imagine that he will be a key man for Europe once again at Bethpage.

However, he will know what the narrative will be the next time he is in contention at a PGA Tour event.