Tommy Fleetwood Admits He’s ‘So Close Yet So Far Away’ In FedEx Cup Race

Tommy Fleetwood’s Perspective as He Battles for a Spot in the Tour Championship

Tommy Fleetwood, currently ranked 31st in the FedEx Cup standings, finds himself on the cusp of securing a place in the prestigious Tour Championship. With only the top 30 players advancing to next week’s event in Atlanta, Fleetwood is fully aware of the stakes as he heads into this week’s BMW Championship in Colorado.

Despite the pressure, Fleetwood maintains a calm and composed attitude towards his situation. “It beats the heck out of sweating on actually keeping your card, doesn’t it?” he quipped, reflecting on the comparative ease of his current challenge. His determination to break into the top 30 is evident, yet he refuses to let the pressure dominate his focus as he prepares for the tournament.

Acknowledging the significance of qualifying for the Tour Championship, Fleetwood remarked, “It’s always a big achievement to make it to Atlanta given how cut-throat the qualifying process is. A lot of great players miss out every year.” He recognizes that being on the bubble adds extra attention and a sense of being tantalizingly close yet still out of reach.

Fleetwood is clear that his primary focus remains on performing well in the tournament, rather than obsessing over his position in the rankings. He stated, “It’s naturally at the back of my mind, but I’ll only let it become the main focus if I find myself without a chance of actually winning the tournament come Sunday.” Should that scenario arise, he expects to spend a significant part of the final day closely monitoring the leaderboards to understand how the standings are evolving.

However, Fleetwood also expressed his disappointment at being in this precarious position, believing it does not accurately reflect the quality of his performances this season. “I just don’t feel 31st in the FedEx is a fair reflection of the golf I’ve played for most of this year. I feel like I’ve performed really well on a lot of occasions, without getting the most out of it.”

He highlighted his consistent finishes between 15th and 25th as evidence of his strong play, albeit below his personal expectations. “Last week at the St Jude Championship was a great example. I led the field in strokes gained tee to green, but was stone last of the seventy-man field in putting.”

Fleetwood admitted to making the mistake of forcing his game on the greens, particularly as he was playing so well from tee to green. “I made the fatal mistake of trying to force things on the greens, probably because I was playing so well that I felt I should be shooting much lower scores.”

Reflecting on his performance, he noted that he started well with his putting in the first round, but faltered in the following days, particularly after missing a short putt on the 18th hole during the second round. This miss seemed to weigh on his mind over the weekend, leading to a mix of missed opportunities and subpar putting. “I hit a few good putts that didn’t go in, then a few not-so-good ones that didn’t drop either, and the bad ones never go in.”

Nevertheless, Fleetwood remains optimistic, recalling past instances where he has putted well on similar courses. He is hopeful that he can put together a complete performance this week and render the “bubble factor” irrelevant by Sunday.

Encouraged by his performance in the pro-am at Castle Pines, Fleetwood found the experience of playing at the “Mile High Course,” laid out at an altitude of around 6,000 feet, to be beneficial. The course, measuring 8,150 yards, is the longest in PGA Tour history, though it plays shorter due to the altitude.

“At this altitude the ball flies about ten percent further than at sea level, which means it equates to about 7,300 yards, which is around the usual yardstick for the PGA Tour,” he explained. Fleetwood noted that the primary challenge lies in adjusting to the elevation changes and the visual differences, which can easily lead to overshooting or under-hitting shots.

Despite these challenges, he praised the course’s layout and its scenic backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, believing it will make for a visually stunning broadcast. “It’s a beautiful layout and with the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop I think it will look fabulous on TV.”

As Fleetwood heads into the BMW Championship, he remains focused on his game, aiming to deliver a performance that will secure his place in the Tour Championship and demonstrate the true caliber of his play this season.