Tommy Fleetwood endured more Sunday PGA Tour anguish as another final-round lead slipped through his fingers at the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis.
Seven weeks after losing out to Keegan Bradley on the final hole of the Travelers Championship, Fleetwood, still yet to win on the PGA Tour, again stumbled on the home straight as Justin Rose surged through to take the $3.6million (about £2.7million) winners’ cheque.
Rose birdied four of his last five holes to shoot a closing 67 and take the tournament to a play-off, where he edged out US Open champion JJ Spaun at the third extra hole.
At the age of 45, it was Rose’s first win since the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am event in February 2023. “That was an amazing last 90 minutes. I never stopped believing. I played unbelievable golf coming down the stretch, I had so much fun out there,” Rose said.
“That’s why I practise, that’s why I play. When I bring my best I know I’m good enough to compete and beat the best. I get nervous with the best of them but I know I’ve still got it. Today is huge for me.”
It was another hammer blow for Rose’s fellow Englishman Fleetwood, who had to settle for a share of third — his 43rd top-ten finish on the PGA Tour, the most for any player without a win.
“I’m getting close. That’s the good side of it. I’m obviously disappointed, but when you look at the positives, I was right there with a chance. It’s hard to win. I just didn’t get it done,” Fleetwood, who shot a closing 69, said.
A bogey on the 17th ended Fleetwood’s chances after he had led the way into the weekend and through most of Sunday
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It is a localised issue rather than a global one — Fleetwood has ten professional victories to his name, including seven on the DP World Tour — but the American trophy drought has become a psychological block.
One of the most popular players wherever he tees it up, he does not lack support at events in the US but he, and his many supporters, remain unable to will him over the line. Each near-miss only adds to the narrative.
The Travelers disappointment, when he blew a one-shot lead from the middle of the fairway on the 72nd hole after missing the green and three-putting for a bogey, looked disconcertingly like a choke.
Sunday’s affair, as he stuttered over the closing holes, sadly fell into the same bracket. It was another “if only” ending for the world No15 in what was his 162nd PGA Tour appearance.
When the gloves are removed for the Ryder Cup and things get tribal at a boisterous Bethpage, the US fanbase will have a convenient stick to beat Fleetwood with. Although he managed two half-points at Whistling Straits four years ago, he is yet to post a victory on American soil for Europe either. He is sure to be reminded of the fact from the galleries next month.
Rose shares a hug with Fleetwood at the 18th after finishing the final round
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The 34-year-old had taken a one-shot lead over Rose into the final round after producing some of his best golf of the year, particularly off the tee. But Fleetwood got away to the worst possible start, bogeying the opening hole after finding a fairway bunker off the tee, and it proved to be the signpost towards another Sunday of despair.
A 30ft bomb at the 12th wrestled back some of the momentum and Fleetwood followed it up with another birdie from ten feet at the next hole, after a beautiful approach shot to hold the lead with five holes to play. But alongside him Rose was on the move, rolling in successive birdie putts at 14 and 15 to move within a stroke.
Fleetwood’s follow-up was steely, holing from six feet at the 15th for a birdie of his own but, as Rose made it three in a row, he made a mess of the par-five 16th, overcooking his chip from the back of the green and scraping a par.
Meanwhile, up ahead, Spaun — who had signalled his intentions at the opening hole by chipping in for a birdie — was birdieing his second successive hole from 15 feet. Fleetwood had company at the top again. The stress levels were visibly rising and he also made hard work of 17, pulling his seven-iron approach short left of the green and stabbing a wretched five-foot par putt wide of the hole for bogey.
Rose was storming on, nailing another birdie to move alongside Spaun at the top of the leaderboard. Needing a birdie at the last to join them, Fleetwood’s tee shot at the 18th found the fairway bunker and his eight-iron from the sand shot through the green. He could not hole the chip for par.
Rose gave himself a 13-foot look at a fifth straight birdie and the title at the last, but the putt just slid wide so it went to a play-off.
Spaun, the US Open champion, took Rose to a third sudden-death play-off hole, but missed from six feet as the Englishman held his nerve
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Rose almost toppled into the water, replaying the 18th first time around. At the second time of asking he holed out from six feet to match Spaun’s long-range birdie. On take three, though, Rose won it with birdie putt from ten feet as Spaun missed from six.
Runner-up at the Masters to Rory McIlroy in a play-off, Rose did not play a hole of practice at TPC Southwind because of illness but more than lasted the distance to claim the 26th professional title of his career. “I love his dedication,” Fleetwood said of Rose. “I’ve always loved how he’s gone about the game. At 45 he’s not slowing down at all. He’s a great person in golf to look up to.”
The top 50 in the FedEx Cup rankings move on to Maryland next week for the BMW Championship at Caves Valley, where Rory McIlroy will rejoin the fray after choosing to skip Memphis.
Leading final scores
-16 JJ Spaun (US), J Rose (Eng)
-15 T Fleetwood (Eng), S Scheffler (US)
-11 C Young (US)
-10 A Bhatia (US), R Fowler (US), A Novak (US)
-9 L Aberg (Swe), K Kitayama (US), C Kirk (US), B Griffin (US)
-8 J Vegas (Ven), Kim Si Woo (S Kor), B Cauley
-7 H Matsuyama (US), R Henley (US), Im Sungjae (S Kor), J Bridgeman (US), S Straka (Austria)