Tommy Fleetwood faces £23million agony as Justin Rose wins St Jude Championship
Tommy Fleetwood's wait for his first PGA Tour victory continues after a heartbreaking finish at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, where he lost a two-shot lead with just three holes to go.
The 34-year-old seemed poised to finally break his career-long drought on the PGA Tour, which includes seven second-place finishes and a whopping £23million in prize money. However, despite being two shots ahead late on Sunday, Fleetwood stumbled towards the end, and had lost his lead by the 18th tee.
Instead of celebrating his first PGA triumph, and a total prize purse of £2.7m, Fleetwood could only watch as J. J Spaun and Justin Rose went head-to-head in a sudden-death playoff for the title. Meanwhile, Masters champion Rory McIlroy decided to give the tournament a miss altogether.
Just before Fleetwood's round ended, eventual champion Rose scored his fourth consecutive birdie to reach 16 under, while Spaun completed a bogey-free 5-under 65 to sit one shot behind. The Brit's response was a 5-foot par putt that stubbornly refused to drop, resulting in a bogey that cut his lead to one and ultimately crushed his hopes of a quick victory.
A par on the final hole after an errant tee-shot left Fleetwood tied with Scottie Scheffler at 15 under, one shot behind the play-off between Rose and Spaun.
Following Fleetwood's departure, both Rose and Spaun missed back-to-back short putts, leading to a thrilling 3-hole play-off on the 18th hole. This saw Rose clinch his first PGA Tour win since 2023 and his 12th overall.
Earlier in the week, Fleetwood had given himself a fighting chance at victory with opening rounds of 63 and 64, placing him firmly among the leaders and seven strokes ahead of Scheffler. However, despite shooting back-to-back 69s on Saturday, keeping him within striking distance, it wasn't enough.
Sunday saw a steady front-nine 36 from Fleetwood, setting the stage for potential victory after just one bogey during his first hole of the day. But despite managing three birdies in the final seven holes, Fleetwood fell short of competing for the trophy.
His third-place finish marked his second-best result of the season, following his runner-up position at the Travelers Championship in June. The PGA Tour Signature Event concluded with Fleetwood and Russell Henley finishing just one stroke behind the winner, Keegan Bradley, who finished at 15 under par.
Fleetwood's performance was once again inconsistent, struggling during the final round after posting scores of 66, 65, 63, and 72. He held the top spot on the leaderboards for 71 holes but faltered on the final hole with a bogey caused by a pulled approach shot and a missed par putt, forgoing the chance to force a playoff once again.
Despite this, Fleetwood still pocketed £1.3m for his tied second-place finish. The English golfer has taken part in 162 PGA Tour events and is yet to claim his first victory, despite raking in over £26m in prize money. These earnings place Fleetwood as the 45th richest golfer of all time, and notably, the highest earner without a tour win.
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