Tommy Fleetwood ended his winless drought on the PGA Tour by winning the Tour Championship title on Sunday. The English golfer received his first winner's paycheck in Atlanta on his 164th attempt. After the win, golf legend Gary Player commented on the 34-year-old champion's "gutsy perseverance."
Player acknowledged Fleetwood's winless run, which consisted of six runner-up finishes among 30 top fives in a decade, and dubbed it part of a "terrific" career. The South African golf icon, worth $50 million as per Celebrity Net Worth, said the recent victory culminated the European Ryder Cupper's "decades of hard work and resilience." He further appreciated the crowds that joined in to support the Tour Championship winner in his $10 million win over the weekend.
The nine-time major winner called the champion golfer a 'great person' and signed off his message by wishing 'many more' wins.
Gary Player said on X:
“I am so incredibly proud of and happy for Tommy Fleetwood and his gutsy perseverance over what has been a terrific professional golf career. Yesterday marked the culmination of decades of hard work and resilience, culminating in the glory of a PGA TOUR win. It was great to see how the crowds, not just at East Lake, have wanted to see Tommy win. A testament to the great person Tommy is. Congratulations, Tommy, and here’s to many more!”
Tommy Fleetwood turned pro in 2010 and joined the PGA Tour in 2018. The English player has made 140 cuts in 164 starts and has clinched a massive $43,430,669 in career earnings so far. He was previously ranked top among highest-earning PGA golfers with no victories.
LeBron James congratulates Tommy Fleetwood on his maiden PGA Tour victory
NBA legend LeBron James also hailed Tommy Fleetwood on his impressive win at the Tour Championship. He posted a post on his X (FKA Twitter) account. James wrote:
"Congrats and 🫡@TommyFleetwood1 !!! That first one feeling is something else! Especially after dealing with adversity and shortcomings. Too 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥"
Fleetwood kicked off the game with an opening round of 64. He was great in the second round and played a round of 63. He maintained his consistency and played a round of 67 and took the lead in the game in a two-way tie with Patrick Cantlay. In the finale, the English player played a round of 68 while Cantlay carded 71.