Tommy Fleetwood has certainly had an impressive time as of late. He played a starring role in Europe’s Ryder Cup triumph over the US, forming an imperious partnership with Francesco Molinari.
The pair won Europe’s first point despite going 2-0 down against Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed, turning the tide against the US and acting as the catalysts for a dominant victory. Fleetwood also finished marginally behind Brooks Koepka to earn second place at the US Open earlier in the year, storming into second by shooting a near-perfect final round that saw him miss out on the first 62 in US Open history by one putt.
Fleetwood has been backed his Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjørn to challenge for major championships in the near future, and if he can continue this rich vein of form then he will certainly pose a formidable opponent to any golfer. The challenge is for Fleetwood to prove that his recent success has not been a mere flash in the pan.
The example of Danny Willet comes to mind, a golfer of considerable promise who won the 2016 Masters after Jordan Spieth endured a spectacular collapse, relinquishing a 5 shot lead in the final few holes of the course. However, Willet was unable to build significantly upon this success, failing to perform in the 2016 Ryder Cup, a competition that acted as the perfect opportunity to further establish himself in the upper echelons of the golfing world.
Fleetwood undoubtedly has the potential to become one of the finest golfers of his generation, but the key to that is achieving consistency. His Ryder Cup performance and great effort at the US Open have given him a solid foundation on which to build, but if he is unable to produce consistently he is at danger of falling out of the limelight. If he can deliver performances as impressive as his recent efforts on a regular basis, there is no reason why Fleetwood would be unable to establish himself as one of golf’s stars and achieve the success that Bjørn, amongst many others, feels is an inevitability.