Tommy Fleetwood’s hopes of ending PGA Tour drought dry up in the sand

Tommy Fleetwood has finished third at the Valspar Championship, after Taylor Moore won in a tie-breaker against Adam Schenk, leaving Fleetwood tied with three-time major winner Jordan Spieth. Fleetwood had been the favourite to win in Tampa before running into trouble in a bunker when it took him two shots to extricate his ball. Fleetwood previously had three runner-up performances in the US and has been in the top five twice, however, his wait for a PGA Tour win goes on. Fleetwood currently sits 27th in the world rankings and can take comfort in having held his own against the formidable Copperhead course.

Matthew Baldwin, who hails from Fleetwood’s hometown of Southport, secured his maiden victory in the European circuit at the SDC Championship in South Africa, with a final score of 18-under par. Baldwin made four birdies in the last nine holes to secure the win. The 37-year-old had been tied at the top of the leaderboard at the start of the fourth and final round, but won by seven shots.

Fleetwood will be relieved to have strengthened his qualifying position for the Ryder Cup, with the event taking place in Rome in September. He has won six DP World Tour titles and is expected to be part of the European team. Meanwhile, Spieth will be ruing a missed opportunity, having bogeyed two of the last three holes. Taylor Moore collected a $1.25 million cheque with his play-off win.

Overall, it was a weekend of near misses for some notable players, with Fleetwood unable to make up the difference after his bunker hiccup, and Spieth losing his chance to secure a win by making a couple of costly mistakes in the final stretch. Meanwhile, Baldwin will take pleasure in achieving his first win on the European circuit.



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