NEW DELHI — Tommy Fleetwood’s finest season continued on Sunday with a two-shot victory over Keita Nakajima on the Indian Championship, adopted by 4 straight birdies across the flip and a 7-under 65 to cap it off.
Fleetwood will likely be celebrating for the third time previously three months. He gained the FedEx Cup title together with his first win on American soil, turned the highest level scorer for the European workforce with a win on the Ryder Cup, and now has his first win on the European Tour this yr.
Nakajima began the ultimate spherical at Derry Golf Membership with a two-stroke lead and performed with out a bogey. He could not sustain with Fleetwood’s tempo. Fleetwood made 4 consecutive birdies from the par-3 seventh, turning a two-shot deficit right into a two-shot lead.
“Numerous good issues occurred this yr, however I believe some issues let me down,” Fleetwood mentioned. “It feels nice to win once more.”
Even after his spotlight on the Ryder Cup, the 34-year-old from England felt he wanted to realize extra this yr, and a European Tour victory – his eighth on tour – was excessive on his checklist. Regardless of Fleetwood’s large success on this yr’s PGA Tour, he was nonetheless ineligible for the ultimate two tournaments on the European schedule.
Now he’s. The win moved him from 94th to twenty fifth within the Race to Dubai, qualifying him for the Abu Dhabi Championship and the Tour Championship, which ends the season in Dubai.
The very best half for Fleetwood was watching his 8-year-old son, Frankie, run as much as the 18th inexperienced after tapping for par and ending with a 22-under 266.
Whereas the 2 have been enjoying golf just lately, Fleetwood mentioned his son advised him he had by no means gained a event the place he might run as much as the inexperienced and say hi there.
“All day right this moment I used to be pondering, ‘Can I put myself ready to make that occur?'” Fleetwood mentioned. “It is simply a type of little issues meaning a lot to me. It means a lot to me. It was actually cool. That is what I needed to do all day.”
Nakajima struggled with the accuracy of his tee shot when he wanted to recuperate late within the ultimate spherical, however holed sufficient putts to return shut. He shot a 69, putting him within the prime 10 of the checklist of European Tour gamers eligible for subsequent yr’s PGA Tour card.
Shane Rowley (68), Thriston Lawrence (65) and Alex Fitzpatrick (67) tied for third at 270.
Enjoying in India for the primary time in his profession, Rory McIlroy birdied the ultimate gap for a 71 and completed tied for twenty sixth place, 11 strokes behind Fleetwood.
