[PHOTO: Kevin C. Cox]

Tommy Fleetwood revealed overnight that his breakthrough win on the PGA Tour last month came as his stepson was dealing with a health emergency.

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The Englishman, whose string of heartbreaks was a narrative the sport desperately wanted to see erased, rewrote his story at the Tour Championship in Atlanta to grab the tour’s FedEx Cup title and its $US10 million prize. Fleetwood’s popularity with the crowd and his colleagues was on full display, as many of fellow players waited around the 18th hole and clubhouse to congratulate him on his triumph. However, missing from that scrum was Fleetwood’s wife, Clare, along with his son and one of his stepsons. Speaking at the DP World Tour’s BMW Championship, the world No.6 revealed that his family had more important matters to attend to.

“Our middle boy, Mo, had a spinal operation just over a month ago now,” Fleetwood explained. “So they were unable to travel. Actually the week of Memphis, they were in the hospital and he was recovering and they actually just got home before we got home. He had three-and-a-half weeks, I think, in the hospital.”

Fleetwood later explained to the media at the DP World Tour’s flagship event that Mo is doing well and will be on-site this week at Wentworth.

This is not the first time Fleetwood’s had to play as those in his circle dealt with serious issues. In 2024, Fleetwood’s caddie and childhood friend, Ian Finnis, missed a significant portion of the season after complications from open-heart surgery. Finnis has been back on the bag since mid-last year, including Fleetwood’s Tour Championship victory.

As for the win itself, Fleetwood hoped it would be an example of perseverance.

“It’s easy to tell the kids the right thing all the time. But being an example that it can happen for you if you keep going, I think more than anything, it was like, I had the opportunity to show my kids what can happen, and then like you can do it.”

Fleetwood, 34, will be making his fourth career appearance for Europe at this month’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.