Tommy Fleetwood has been chasing his first PGA Tour title for what feels like forever—and on Sunday at the Travelers Championship, it looked like the 34-year-old Englishman was finally going to catch it. Instead, in a gut-wrenching twist, it slipped right through his fingers.
After 158 starts and 41 top-10 finishes, Fleetwood stood on the 16th tee with a two-shot lead and just three holes separating him from that long-awaited breakthrough. But golf, as it so often does, had other plans. By the time Keegan Bradley tapped in for birdie on the 18th, Fleetwood’s name wasn’t at the top—it was tied for second.
From Calm to Collapse in Three Holes
The final stretch unraveled quickly for Fleetwood. He had built a steady round, overcoming early shakiness—three bogeys in his first four holes—to claw his way back with birdies on 11 and 13. That gave him back a two-stroke cushion and control of the tournament.
But then came the 16th. Then the 18th. Then, a missed six-foot par putt turned a one-shot lead into a one-shot loss. “I’m gutted right now,” Fleetwood admitted afterward. “It’s the worst way it could go.”
He’s not wrong. This wasn’t a slow burn—it was a dagger in the final steps. And to make matters worse, he didn’t even get a shot in a playoff. His bogey on 18 set the stage for Bradley, who had reached the green in two. With the crowd buzzing and the pressure dialed up, Bradley drained his birdie putt to seal it.
Bradley’s Perfect Read
Keegan Bradley was hardly a lock heading into the closing stretch. A bogey at 14 dropped him behind, and the leaderboard looked ready to tilt in Fleetwood’s favor. But then came the momentum swing: a 35-foot birdie bomb on 15 and a textbook approach to five feet on 18.
Fleetwood’s miss had effectively shown Bradley the line—and the 2011 PGA Championship winner didn’t waste it. His two-under 68 put him at 15-under for the week, just one better than Fleetwood and Russell Henley, who chipped in on 18 to join the tie for second.
Another Cruel Chapter for Fleetwood
For Fleetwood, this wasn’t just a loss—it was another haunting addition to a resume full of near-misses. He’s played in majors, contended on the biggest stages, and won around the world. However, on the PGA Tour, the trophy case still has a frustrating blank spot.
And this one stings. Leading on the back nine. Holding all the momentum. In control—and then not even a playoff. If there’s a crueler way to lose a golf tournament, it’s hard to imagine.
But to his credit, Fleetwood stood tall in defeat. He owned the collapse, didn’t deflect, and spoke like a player who knows what it takes—even if the result didn’t show it.
That elusive first win will come. But Sunday at the Travelers wasn’t just another runner-up finish—it was a missed moment that will sit with him for a long time.
