Another close call as Tommy Fleetwood seeks first win
1 Min Read
Tommy Fleetwood’s clutch birdie putt at Honda
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Tommy Fleetwood started Sunday as the only player in the top 20 of the world ranking without a win.
He looked ready to ditch that title after making birdie on the first two holes to take a three-shot lead early in The Honda Classic’s final round. He had another short birdie putt on the third hole, but missed that and had to wait 14 holes for his next birdie.
He still had a chance on the last hole to win The Honda Classic. A 24-foot birdie putt on 17 pulled Fleetwood within one stroke of Sungjae Im, who’d already signed for his 66. Fleetwood was in the fairway of the par-5 finishing hole, but hit his 235-yard approach into the water. The closing bogey dropped him into third place, two shots behind Im, who won his first PGA TOUR title. Mackenzie Hughes finished alone in second.
Fleetwood shot 71 on Sunday after starting the final round with a one-shot lead.
“I didn’t do much wrong,” Fleetwood said. “It came down to slim margins. It’s disappointing. It was close.
“At the end of the day, I felt like I was really good mentally, hung in there until the end and gave myself a chance.”
Fleetwood moved to 62nd in the FedExCup with his best finish since his runner-up at last year’s Open Championship.
This was Fleetwood’s third consecutive top-5 on the Florida Swing. He finished fifth at THE PLAYERS Championship last year and third in the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.
Sean Martin manages PGATOUR.COM’s staff of writers as the Lead, Editorial. He covered all levels of competitive golf at Golfweek Magazine for seven years, including tournaments on four continents, before coming to the PGA TOUR in 2013. Follow Sean Martin on Twitter.