Tommy Fleetwood of England hugs his son Frankie after winning the DP World Tour Championship golf tournament in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Dharam Diwakar) New Delhi: Let it roll. Tommy Fleetwood found himself at the center of his own rock opera. The demand for the Merseysider’s attention increased at the DGC arena as he reeled in birdie after birdie when it mattered, while clutch par heels ensured he remained in the limelight.Rory Who? With McIlroy fading early to complete his stellar turnaround by birdieing the last for a memorable 71, the Fleetwood show continued with a controlled performance. A deserving winner of the inaugural $4 million World Cup in India with a 7-under 65 and a 22-under crescendo.New Zealander Daniel Hillier briefly stole the show with his high notes on the front nine. The man from the port town of Porirua had 7 birdies in 10 holes, but the pencil-moustached Kiwi was more widely relegated to character performers and lost himself and his hopes in the woods on the 14th hole. His composure left him with a double bogey and a dropped putt on the 15th sent him from a challenging 20 under to a distant 17 under. Another stumble at the 18th dropped Hillier to a tie for ninth and a heap of sighs.It’s a lesson golf can teach you, and Fleetwood has had his share of disappointment. It’s all about fine edges and one day you’ll be on the right side. “It was interesting because when I broke my PGA Tour duck at the Tour Championship, I really felt like I wasn’t that different from the times I lost. I think I’ve learned from every experience and today will be another one. Maybe I won, maybe I didn’t; I could have done the exact same things and been beaten. I think being in this position more and more is something I’m really proud of.”Trophies come when you keep knocking on doors. “I know form doesn’t last forever, but I’m trying to make myself the most consistent player I can be. Just being in contention over and over again, feeling those nerves and losing a chance to win is what we all want to do.”A big bonus was being able to share this winning moment with my son Frankie, who is now a budding social media star. For working-class hero Tommy, family comes first, and his No.1 position on Sunday may have been inspired by his brown-haired angel. This dream was triggered by a random sentence from an eight-year-old child.“Last week we were at home driving the buggy. I think we were playing golf together and he just remarked, ‘You know what you’ve never done?’. He said, ‘You’ve never won a tournament when I could run the 18th green’.”It was something the father had to write down and provide. “That quote was there and that was something that drove me. So maybe it was fate, a manifestation; perhaps it was Fleetwood’s ability to reset itself every day.On Saturday, the 34-year-old found himself in a rush that took its toll as he cruised through the five-hole stretch, giving Keita Nakajima a two-stroke lead.Sunday was different. As a haze descended on the Capital, as is customary during Diwali, Nakajima did well with a steady bogey-free round of 3-under. But it wasn’t enough.“India one of my favorite countries. Maybe I’ll win next year,” the former amateur world No. 1 promised in broken English.Despite an unforced error on the 2nd hole that put him three shots back, Fleetwood lit up a set of biscuits from the 4th hole. “I ran away from there today. I birdied 4, 7, 8, 9, 10 and was able to get things done.”He revealed an occasional glance at the scoreboard. “I saw that Dan had a good start, so people started fast. It’s one of those things; you never know when everyone’s going to move up. You just have to stay focused and not force things.”
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His pressure putt on the 11th kept him moving through the back nine. Nakajima rallied on the 12th. Tommy’s putter restored a two-stroke gap on the 14th and peaked at the 17th, but Nakajima was level in his response.Fleetwood stepped up to the 18th tee; he blew softly into his fingers as if to create that last moment of magic, a rush of calming energy to keep his two-stroke pillow from feeling too much.There would be no final temptation for ‘fairway Jesus’, just a regulation game. A tap-in for the winning par-putt released the emotions of Fleetwood, his family and the adoring crowd.
