TOMMY FLEETWOOD FINALLY ended one of the longest and most agonising winless runs on the PGA Tour by winning the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake.

Fleetwood shared the overnight lead with Patrick Cantlay, and, playing in the final group, he held off the American to win by three shots, sealing his first win in America and a $10 million winner’s prize. It is Fleetwood’s first victory in what was his 164th PGA Tour start. 

“This was probably not the most comfortable I’ve been, as they rack up you think of different things”, said Fleetwood afterwards. “I have had a great attitude through it all. I was a bit erratic at times today, but I was proud of how I found my swing again on the 11th hole. When you’ve lost it so many times, a three-shot lead down the last doesn’t feel like that many!  

“This is hopefully the first of many to come, and I am so happy I got it done.” 

Cantlay started terribly, making bogey on the first hole and then double bogey on the second, where Fleetwood began par-birdie to open up an early four-shot lead. Cantlay picked a shot up on the third hole and then saw his deficit further trimmed when Fleetwood made bogey on five. They both birdied six, while Fleetwood also birdied seven to re-establish a three-shot lead. 

Fleetwood then wobbled around the turn, making bogey on 10 where Cantlay made birdie, meaning his lead was suddenly just a single shot. Cantlay, however, bogeyed the very next hole, and back-to-back Fleetwood birdies on 12 and 13 meant he once again held a three-shot lead. 

Meanwhile, any of his Fleetwood’s other putative challengers faded, with Scottie Scheffler and Keegan Bradley both going into the water on the treacherous, par-three 15th to make double-bogey and end their challenge.

Scheffler finished in a tie for fourth place, alongside Canadian Corey Conners, who finished with a stunning 62. 

Russell Henley, meanwhile, had cause to curse a stone-cold putter, which consigned him to a tie for second spot with Cantlay. 

Fleetwood overcooked his five-iron into 15 to the back-left of the green, and though he didn’t get wet, had to settle for a bogey four. Cantlay, standing over a birdie putt for a potential two-shot swing, saw his effort drift to the left. Cantlay then sent his tee shot on 16 into the left-side rough, meaning he had to lay-up onto the fairway en route to a bogey. Fleetwood meanwhile found the perfect spot on the tee, and his par meant he took a three-shot lead to the 17th hole and, then, to the final hole, where he held his nerve to make par and finally end his drought.  

Though he has won regularly on the European Tour, Fleetwood has had several painful close calls in America, with the most recent being at the first PGA Tour play-off event in Memphis two weeks ago, when he blew a two-shot lead with only three holes remaining. Prior to this week, Fleetwood had 29 top fives on the Tour, which was 11 more than any other player without a Tour win over the last 40 years. 

Elsewhere, Shane Lowry finished an impressive weekend with a final-round 68, finishing in a tie for 13th. Owing to a quirk of the new qualification rules, European players were unable to pick up Ryder Cup points at this week’s Tour Championship, where anyone playing at the British Masters on the DP World Tour could. This meant Lowry was edged out of the final automatic qualification spot by Rasmus Hojgaard, courtesy of the Dane’s finish at the Belfry earlier today. Lowry must now rely on being among Luke Donald’s six captain’s picks, which will be announced on Monday week, 1 September. 

Rory McIlroy meanwhile finished down the 30-man field in a tie for 23rd position, closing with a final-round 70.