- Before winning his first title this week, Tommy Fleetwood had a historic winless streak for PGA Tour participants. But after finally winning a title after 163 attempts, the 34-year-old golfer, who more than doubled his winnings this year with the $10 million FedEx Cup prize money, attributed his success to embracing the moment and remembering to “never fear failing.”
After more than 160 attempts and years of close calls, Tommy Fleetwood finally stepped into the winner’s circle on the PGA Tour, capturing the 2025 Tour Championship at East Lake and along with it, the $10 million FedEx Cup purse. Fleetwood’s breakthrough came in his 164th Tour start—snapping a historic winless streak for the men’s golf tournament.
Fleetwood nabbed his first PGA Tour title this week since starting out as a professional golfer in 2010. His wait for victory brought him 41 top-10 and 30 top-five finishes and six runner-up results, the highest number of attempts for any golfer without a win in the past century, according to ESPN Research. The FedEx Cup’s revised rules this year crowned the Tour Championship victor as FedEx Cup champion, creating $10 million in prize money for Fleetwood to take home.
The 34-year-old Southport, UK-born athlete’s persistence in the face of public disappointment became a hallmark of his career. He was known colloquially as “that one guy that never wins.”
“Well, it’s a shame that the story’s gone,” Fleetwood said in a press conference after his win. “I enjoyed it while it lasted, in a sick way. But I hope that… we can talk about plenty more things in the future.”
Navigating ups and downs through the final round, Fleetwood described moments of doubt—and the mental process that brought him back from them.
“You have to deal with those little demons that are in the back of your mind, and doubt creeps in,” he said. “Think positively, speak positively to yourself…if you consistently do the right things and persist, success can be achieved.”
His final-round score of 2-under-par and total of 18-under placed him three strokes ahead of his closest competitors.
Success mentality
Despite his popularity for never winning, Fleetwood kept a positive attitude about the online narrative surrounding him regularly falling just short.
“You should never fear failing,” Fleetwood told NBC after his win. “You should never be afraid of putting yourself in those positions again. Failure isn’t scary. Not giving yourself a chance is.”
Growing up, Fleetwood often snuck onto the legendary Royal Birkdale course in Southport with his father to practice when they couldn’t afford memberships. Now, Fleetwood is tens of millions of dollars richer.
Even before the PGA win, his $33.4 million in career earnings were the most for a golfer who hadn’t won on tour, according to ESPN. He had also won seven times on the DP World Tour and three other times around the world. With the $10 million purse earned Sunday, Fleetwood’s 2025 total earnings top $18.5 million, according to his Yahoo Sports player profile.
Fleetwood said after the win, he’s eager to inspire others through his perseverance.
“I’ll look back and I’ll be able to tell people… keep coming back after tough losses and keep working…and then finally get it done. I’m proof that it can happen.”