Tommy Fleetwood has just enjoyed a sensational couple of months on the course and is now relishing the opportunity of maintaining that run at this week's Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
The hugely popular Englishman finally secured his long-awaited maiden win on the PGA Tour at the 164th attempt in August, scooping the Tour Championship crown as well as the $10 million FedEx Cup first prize.
From there it was on to New York where he played a key role in Europe sealing back-to-back Ryder Cup victories after the United States were beaten 15-13 at Bethpage Black.
Then last month, the Dubai-based player secured victory at the inaugural DP World India Championship which guaranteed his place for the tournaments at Yas Links in Abu Dhabi and the season-ending World Tour Championship at Dubai's Jumeirah Golf Estates.
“It's not finished,” insisted Fleetwood, 34, when asked how much he would rate his 2025 out of 10. “I'd rather rate it after the next couple of weeks. But yeah, it's been great.
“The last few months have felt unbelievably rewarding and quite a lot of special moments in there that I feel very lucky and grateful for. Yeah, it's been a great year.
“Obviously, would rate very highly with still a couple rounds to go that could make it even better.
“There's been some amazing highs, there really, really has. But I still feel motivated with two events to go in the season.
“My game has been in a great place and I've been working really well and I've been working really hard. I always look for the opportunity of what can come next.”
Abu Dhabi will always hold an important place in Fleetwood's heart – and career. Back in 2017, the then 26-year-old sealed the biggest win of his career when he held off the challenge of major champions Martin Kaymer, Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson to win at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
It ended a 1,247-day wait for his second European Tour triumph and Fleetwood admits he sees it as a “big milestone” in his golf story.
“Yes, they changed courses a few years ago [to Yas Links in 2022] but I look back to 2017 and where my game was halfway through 2016, there's definitely an epic personal story there where I felt like I had to find my way back,” he said.
“I was in a very dark place game-wise in 2016 and [it] could have gone either way. When I won this event, which was the first of the year in 2017, I always see it as a big milestone in my career.
“I felt like I got my game back to where it was and it was a massive step for me. I won it again the year after. But yeah, I always look at this event as a real big moment in my career.”
Fleetwood's links to the UAE are well established with his family having moved to Dubai in 2022 and the academy he set up at Jumeirah Golf Estates has been a roaring success.
And he confirmed that the Tommy Fleetwood Academy is set to spread it's wings to the capital – and specifically to Yas Links.
“I feel pleased that I get to bring the game to as many people as possible and also help people strive for their dreams or create dreams, whatever they may be, through the game of golf,” said Fleetwood, who tees off at 8.01am on Thursday alongside fellow Ryder Cup winners Shane Lowry and Rasmus Hojgaard.
“Being able to open here at Yas Links, as well, I'm so proud of the community that we've built, and the fact that we can open another one is a great sign of that.
“I'm lucky with the coaches that we have, the ecosystem that we've built and the people that have supported it.
“Yeah, to have another one and continue to build in this region which means so much to me and that has been such a success means an awful lot to me. I know this is going to be amazing from a professional standpoint in golf.
“The UAE has been so good to us, as pros, but the more people that get into golf the better, and you can see that's been huge for us.”
