Having enjoyed a glittering amateur career, Tommy Fleetwood very nearly saw his professional career go up in smoke due to problems with his swing. Five years into life as a pro, Fleetwood's game was coming apart and he was at his wit's end.
Fleetwood, who won some significant amateur championships, had seemingly made a successful transition to the professional game when he recorded his first win on the Challenge Tour at just 20 years of age.
And in 2013 he won his first European Tour event and represented Great Britain and Ireland in the Seve Trophy. But by 2015, he was unsure if he had a future in the sport.
With the help of his childhood coach Alan Thompson and close friend Ian Finnis, who became his caddie, Fleetwood recovered and he's now one of Europe's leading lights.
Tommy Fleetwood in action at the 2020 Masters
Fleetwood pulled out of a multi-season slump with his best-ever season in 2017, finishing as the European Tour number one after notching two wins at prestigious events - the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the Open de France. Overall, he recorded 10 top-10 finishes to beat Justin Rose to the Race to Dubai crown.
He's yet to win a Major but has had three close brushes; he was runner-up at the US Open (2018) and again at the British Open (2019). In 2024, he finished tied for third at the Masters.
Amateur career
A Southport native, Fleetwood and his father would sneak onto Royal Birkdale to play rounds on the famous British Open course.
He captained England in the 2008 Boys' Home Internationals and later that year would finish runner-up in the Amateur Championship.
In 2009, Fleetwood won the Scottish Amateur Stroke Play Championship and represented Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup.
Fleetwood would top the Scratch Players World Amateur Rankings and win the English Amateur in his final stretch as an amateur.
While still an amateur Fleetwood was runner-up at the English Challenge in July of 2010.
Turning professional
Fleetwood turned pro shortly after his efforts at the English Challenge, making his professional debut at the Czech Open a month later.
Just under a year after his near-miss in Russia, Fleetwood won the Kazakhstan Open, one of the biggest events on the Challenge Tour. The victory secured Fleetwood's full European Tour card for the 2012 season.
Fleetwood's first year on the European Tour did not start well and he needed to get a result in the South African Open, his final tournament of the season, to retain his card. He managed to achieve this with a sixth-placed finish.
Win drought and swing problems
While his Tour card didn't come under threat again, Fleetwood struggled to find his best form in the following three years. He missed the cut in five of his first six Major Championship starts between 2014 and 2016, finishing T27th at the 2015 US Open.
The long wait for a win drove Fleetwood to rework his swing and employ a new caddie. He managed to work out the kinks in his game and, after missing the cut at the 2016 British Open, he recorded back-to-back top 10 finishes at the KLM Open and Italian Open in September.
Race to Dubai success
In the summer, he recorded his first top five in a major when fourth at the US Open and two weeks later Fleetwood bagged another big win - the Rolex Series HNA Open de France.
He ended 2017 ranked in the top 20 after winning the European Tour's Race to Dubai. He also won the European Tour's Seve Ballesteros award.
In 2018, Fleetwood split his time between the European Tour and the PGA Tour. Early in the season, he successfully defended his Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship to capture his fourth European Tour win.
Near misses in Majors and Ryder Cup heroics
He shot a stunning final-round 63 to storm into contention for the 2018 US Open at Shinnecock Hills but fell just short, missing out by one stroke to Brooks Koepka and finishing second.
Later that year he returned to the scene of his third European Tour win, Le Golf National, to make his Ryder Cup debut.
Together with Francesco Molinari, Fleetwood was one half of a golden pairing that won four matches together. The duo were later dubbed 'Moliwood'.
Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari embrace at the 2018 Ryder Cup
At the 2019 British Open, Fleetwood again went close to Major glory. He eventually finished runner-up, six shots behind the inspired Shane Lowry at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland.
Fleetwood is still waiting for his first PGA Tour win but notched his fifth triumph on the European Tour when he won the Nedbank Challenge, sometimes referred to as 'Africa's Major', in November 2019.
After lean spells at the Majors in 2020 and 2021, he tied fourth at the Open and tied fifth at the PGA Championship in 2022. In November of that year he won the Nedbank Golf Challenge for the second time.
In 2023, he was tied fifth at the US Open and played at important role in Europe reclaiming the Ryder Cup.
His form improved in 2024, at the start of the year he won the first edition of Dubai Invitational and finished tied for third at the Masters, 26th in the US PGA and a 16th in the US Open.
Fleetwood silver at 2024 Olympics
Fleetwood won silver as Scottie Scheffler was crowned Olympic men’s champion at Paris 2024.
Fleetwood fired a final-day 66 to fall one stroke short of Scheffler’s 19 under par total after the world number one had tied the La Golf National course record of 62, with six birdies in his back nine 29.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama claimed bronze a shot back, with France’s Victor Perez fourth and Ireland’s Rory McIlroy finished in a tie for fifth with Spain’s Jon Rahm.
“I didn’t win gold and part of me is disappointed,” said Fleetwood, who again showed his liking for Le Golf National after winning the French Open in 2017 and enjoying Ryder Cup heroics here a year later.
“But standing on that podium with a medal is one of the most amazing moments I’ve had as a golfer, and I will remember it for the rest of my life.
“As a young boy taking up the game I never dreamed to be an Olympian and winning an Olympic medal is never on your agenda.
“That changes when you’re part of the Olympics and it feels unbelievably special, even if part of me is disappointed I haven’t won.
“I haven’t been in the mix that much recently and being back there, playing well and how it felt, the enjoyment of it, is what I will take from the week.”
Golf was reintroduced to the Olympic programme for Rio 2016 when Team GB’s Justin Rose won gold, and Fleetwood started the final round one behind playing partners Rahm and Xander Schauffele.
Five birdies on the front nine took him into second, and he was tied for the lead with Rahm after two more on the 11th and 12th.
With Scheffler charging on the back nine, Fleetwood rolled in an eight-foot putt on the 16th to go joint-top of the leaderboard again before one errant drive gave the American world number one the initiative.
After nearly chipping in at the last to force a play-off, Fleetwood said: “There was a fair bit of time when I thought I had a chance.
“I was aware of the leaderboards and you can watch at that back end. I saw him (Scheffler) hole a putt on 17 and knew I had to get something out of the last few.
“It’s a tough closing stretch and I got unlucky where I finished on 17. Even once the chip had missed on the last, I tried to make sure I got the next one for silver.”
Tommy Fleetwood's personal life
Fleetwood was born and raised in Southport, Lancashire, taking up golf at a young age but enjoying other sports as well.
He supports Everton FC and also enjoys watching rugby and darts.
His wife Clare is also his manager while his caddie Ian Finnis was best man at their wedding. Fleetwood has a son called Franklin, who was born in October 2017.
Fleetwood enjoys practicing yoga and meditation regularly, making use of the Headspace app. He is also an avid reader who enjoys biographies, detective stories and historical books.
A keen actor in his youth, his skills in that department have also been used by the European Tour's social media team, Fleetwood starring in several hugely-popular viral videos.
Tommy Fleetwood's net worth
By November 2020, Fleetwood had earned more than $9million in prize money and the latest estimates place his net worth at roughly $5million.
A Nike endorsed athlete, Fleetwood was slow to move the company's discontinued clubs out of his bag. He now uses a range of clubs from a variety of manufacturers.
Fleetwood has marketing relationships with luxury watchmaker Omega and BMW.