PGA Tour golf: How Tommy Fleetwood can take confidence from near-miss and why Keegan Bradley may have to change Ryder Cup role | Golf News
We all know how good Tommy Fleetwood is, there’s no doubt about that. We all thought Sunday was going to be the coming of age for Fleetwood, as his stats are incredible.
He has more top 10s on the PGA Tour without winning than any other player, but Fleetwood has got to start questioning why this is happening and whether he needs help from someone to take him in another mental direction.
Once the floodgates open, I think that they will because the golf swing is something you just want to try and copy. Sometimes though, however, the pace of the putting gets a bit questionable.
Fleetwood took a three-shot lead into the final round at the Travelers Championship
I don’t think Tommy putts badly. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with his putting, I really don’t, but it’s just pace. You can’t get yourself in a position every week like he seems to get without being a great putter.
With these unbelievable finishes, the man’s a human cash register, but it just doesn’t seem to click when it needs to. I’m a firm believer that something big is going to happen to Fleetwood – and we’re all going to go he deserves it – but when will it happen?
Tommy Fleetwood is still searching his maiden PGA Tour title
It’s fine playing the first three days well, when you sort of free wheel, but you’ve got to when you get right down to it, you’re under the magnifying glass, you’re under that microscope. It’s a tough one to swallow, but Fleetwood will be fine.
Fleetwood is a machine. Can we say that swing is the best in the world? I don’t think there’s anyone that swings it better. It’s set at the top, there’s a little abbreviated follow through when he wants to and he’s just a beautiful golfer.
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He’s built for an Open Championship, but so are a lot of other players. He’s in a great place for Royal Portrush. He was runner-up up there last time and he will just want to move onto the next event. That’s all you can do – you can’t do anything else.
He’ll also be mindful of people in the locker room saying, ‘well, Tommy might be a great player, but he hasn’t won’. They’re looking at him going, ‘you haven’t won’. That is the reality that, that is the truth of this.
Before you win anywhere in the world, you’re questioned. He has won seven times on the DP World Tour and some really big ones, but the Americans won’t count that. They look at Tommy and say he still hasn’t won.
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Fleetwood was despondent after narrowly missing out on a maiden PGA Tour title
As a professional golfer, what you’ve got to do is try and take the positives out of negatives. He’ll do that, but he knows he has got to get over the line soon because we’ll keep talking about it!
Tommy will be stronger for this experience. He’ll take the positives from this. He certainly knows after that performance at the Travelers Championship, he belongs and can get it done.
Decision time for Bradley: Does he drop himself?
I can’t see him missing the Ryder Cup if you’re seven in the world right now! You have to pick yourself to play, although he’s damned if he does and he’s dammed if he doesn’t here.
How did Team USA get themselves in this position? Luke Donald must be laughing his head off. A lot of people a year ago thought Europe were going to get hammered at Bethpage, but not anymore.
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An incredible final hole played out at the Travelers Championship, as Bradley sensationally denied Fleetwood
What happens when it all goes pear-shaped a little on Sunday and the Americans are losing? The New Yorkers could turn on them. The Europeans could absolutely love it.
He’s just got to say: ‘I’m going to play and do you people want me as a playing captain?’ That’s how he’s got to go about it. I don’t think you can be a playing captain in something so very big.
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Bradley nailed a 65-foot birdie during the final round of his dramatic Travelers Championship victory
Everyone’s looking at each other and going, what does he do here? How does he win? He can’t drop himself, because he’s the seventh-best golfer in the world, so he owes it to the team to play.
He’s got to drop himself as a captain, he’s got to just play. But then who does he give the captaincy to? Right now, for me, the whole thing is advantage Europe.
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