Tommy Fleetwood Looks Back on Travelers Championship Heartbreak With New Perspective: "It's Not as Bad as You Think"

Jun 25, 2026, 9:20 PM CUT

February 22, 2026, Pacific Palisades, California, USA: TOMMY FLEETWOOD looks towards the crowd after finishing on the 18th hold during the second round of the Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country club in Pacific Palisades, California. Pacific Palisades USA - ZUMAt158 20260222_zsp_t158_005 Copyright: xBrentonxTsex

World No.7 Tommy Fleetwood was so close to winning last year’s Travelers Championship. The Englishman came agonizingly close and couldn’t secure what would’ve been his first PGA Tour title back then.

According to reports by GolfMagic, Fleetwood was all set to lift his first title on the Tour after racking up 41 top-10 finishes and 159 PGA Tour starts. Things didn’t go to plan, but the Englishman has been able to deal with the loss.

"Well, as disappointed and gutted as I was, I felt like I got a lot of support from it. I've seen Rory talk about it before — you go through those upsets and you wait for the next day and you realise maybe it's not as bad as you think, and you have to get back to work no matter what,” said Fleetwood.

Tommy Fleetwood ENG Round 1 of the DP World Tour Championship 2025, held at the Jumeirah Golf Estate, Earth Course, Dhabi, United Arab Emerites. 13-16 November 2025. Dubai United Arab Emerites DP World Tour, Dp World Tour Championship 2025, Golf x11290x *** Tommy Fleetwood ENG Round 1 of the DP World Tour Championship 2025, held at the Jumeirah Golf Estate, Earth Course, Dhabi, United Arab Emerites 13 16 November 2025 Dubai United Arab Emerites DP World Tour, Dp World Tour Championship 2025, Golf x11290x PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxDENxNORxSWExFIN Copyright: xWilliamxBrodin/TTx Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship 2025

"I think when you've lost tournaments or given them away — and I've probably won the odd one I maybe shouldn't have — you realise the next day everybody gets up and goes to work anyway and you've got to carry on,” he added, as reported by Golfmagic.

Shooting rounds of 66,65 and 63, Fleetwood held the 54-hole lead at TPC River Highlands. A bogey on the final hole put him off by a stroke to the USA’s Keegan Bradley, who, on the other hand, birdied his last hole.

Three days of consistency went away in a flash, and Fleetwood came out empty-handed. However, he did not let the loss keep him down. Fleetwood went on to have a strong end to the season.

Fleetwood’s comeback from the loss

After the loss, Fleetwood bounced back in the season and was successful in securing his first PGA Tour title.

On 24 August 2025, Fleetwood won the Tour Championship for his first PGA Tour victory in his 164th event, along with the FedEx Cup and its $10 million prize. It was a three-stroke victory over the USA’s Patrick Cantlay and Russell Henley as reported by AP News.

Following that, Fleetwood was a part of the European team that defeated the US team by 15 to 13 at Bethpage Black, in front of a heckling crowd.

The good run did not end there. The Englishman lifted the DP World India Championship by two strokes over Japan’s Keita Nakajima.

The loss at TPC River Highlands served as immense motivation for Fleetwood, and he came back strongly.

Do you think Fleetwood is a strong contender for this year’s Travelers Championship? Let us know in the comments.

Written by

Avishek Sarkar

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi