Summary
In a thrilling conclusion, Tommy Fleetwood has elevated his season-best to a new level by securing victory at the Indian Championship, closing with a stunning seven-under-par 65 to secure a two-shot victory over Keita Nakajima. This is Fleetwood's third cause for celebration in the past three months, having won the FedEx Cup title in the U.S. and topping the Ryder Cup, and now adding his first European Tour victory this year.
Nakajima started the final round with a two-shot lead at Delhi Golf Club and maintained a bogey-free game, but he couldn't keep pace with Fleetwood, who made four consecutive birdies from the 7th hole onwards, turning a two-shot deficit into a two-shot lead.
“I feel like, despite all the good things that have happened this year, some things have let me down,” said Fleetwood, who hadn’t won on the European Tour. “Another win, it feels great.”
Despite his accomplishments on the PGA Tour, the 34-year-old golfer was still ineligible for the final two events on the European calendar. However, this victory catapulted him from 94th to 25th in the Race to Dubai, securing his participation in the Abu Dhabi Championship and the Dubai Tour Championship.
Key details
One of Fleetwood's most emotional moments was watching his eight-year-old son, Frankie, run onto the 18th green after his par putt, finishing with a 22-under 266. While playing golf recently, his son had mentioned that he had never won a tournament where he could run up to greet him on the green.
“Today, the whole time I was thinking, 'Can I put myself in a position to make that happen?'‘ Fleetwood said. ’It's one of those little things that means a lot to me. That was really cool. That's what I wanted to do all day.”
Nakajima, meanwhile, struggled with accuracy off the tee when he needed to make up ground in the final round, but he made enough putts to stay close. He finished with a 69 and moved into the top 10 European Tour players eligible for PGA Tour cards next year. Shane Lowry (68), Thriston Lawrence (65), and Alex Fitzpatrick (67) tied for third with a total of 270.
Rory McIlroy, playing in India for the first time, closed with a birdie on his final hole for a 71, finishing tied for 26th, 11 strokes behind Fleetwood.
