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Tommy Fleetwood collapsed during his final round at the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands In Cromwell, Connecticut. He entered his final day sitting at -16 atop the leaderboard. He left with another heartbreaking second-place finish.
The PGA Tour star bogeyed two of his last three holes. An unlucky bounce on No. 18 proved to be the nail in the coffin.
Fleetwood has been on the Tour since 2010. He’s played in nearly 160 events but has found his first win to be elusive. The golfer is more than respected by peers and viewers, boasting 42 Top 10 finishes to go along with 135/159 made cuts. Unfortunately, he’s been unable to close out victory.
There have been chances. This weekend represented one of his best. He’d held the lead through the 71st hole. He watched victory slip from his grasps on the 18th green.
Tommy Fleetwood struggled early Sunday, with three bogeys in his first four holes to shoot +2 on the front nine. He rebounded nicely with birdies Nos. 11 and 13 to get back to even on the afternoon.
In control of his own destiny, he’d need to finish at even par for the round to hoist the Travelers Championship trophy. He’d fail.
An unlucky putt on his final green proved to be the difference. Fleetwood appeared to have the correct read, but video replay showed his ball hopping off course just before the cup.
It’s unknown what caused the change in trajectory. Making things all the more painful, tournament winner Keegan Bradley saw a similar read fall in for birdie and the win moments later.
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Was Tommy Fleetwood jinxed by Rory McIlroy?!
The Irishman was heard speaking about his PGA Tour counterpart near the end of that round. It appeared he’d thought Fleetwood had already won the tournament.
“Tommy’s been a great player for a long time,” he said. “He’s more than due – or he was more than due… It’s great to see him get over the line.”
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He did not get over the line. The unlucky putt cemented his second-place finish. Unlike Rory McIlroy, however, Tommy Fleetwood spoke to the media after another crushing loss.
“I’m upset now,” he said. “I’m angry. When I calm down, I’ll look at the things I did well. Look at the things I can learn from. I haven’t been in this position all year, so it’s been a while. I felt like I did a lot of good things, but there are things I need to do better. The most stupid thing to do would be to make a week like this a hinderance moving forward.”
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McIlroy has caught some flak in the recent past for snubbing the media after disappointing rounds. He did so at the PGA Championship this past May. It happened again a month later at the US Open.
McIlroy has the resume to do as he pleases. His 29 wins and five major victories speak loudly. It doesn’t shield him from criticism, though.
Tommy Fleetwood doesn’t boast that stat sheet. He did, however, pick up some respect from viewers by speaking after another heartbreaking loss.