Tommy Fleetwood returns to India for the first time in nine years aiming to cap off a standout season with a strong finish as he puts Majors as his focus for 2026.
The last time Fleetwood was at Dehli Golf Club, he was ranked 82nd on the Official World Golf Ranking, and had a solitary DP World Tour win that had come three years prior at the 2013 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
It was just over a year later that Fleetwood had completely rerouted his trajectory in the professional game, tripled his number of wins and ended 2017 as the winner of the Race to Dubai.
Nine years on, Fleetwood is seven-time winner on the DP World Tour, a four-time Ryder Cup player and this year broke through on the PGA TOUR for the first-time at the Tour Championship to become just the third man in history to have won both the FedEx Cup and the Race to Dubai.
Two weeks ago, immediately following his crucial role in helping Europe to an historic 15-13 win over the U.S. Team at the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, he broke into the top five in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in his career.
Although he may be 90th on the Race to Dubai Ranking, Fleetwood is hoping to continue his momentum in India and begin a strong finish to the season, which culminates in just over a month's time at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
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"It is nice to be back [in India]," the 34-year-old told media on Wednesday at the DP World Tour India Championship.
"It's been nine years, I think it's been. I was struggling back here back in 2016. That was my last time. So it's great to have come back.
"It's been a really good year. I think overall, throughout the year, especially the summer, I think I played very consistently, and work on my game really well. And then just the last month or so, I managed to get that win on the PGA TOUR. It seemed like a really big thing, a big story, and the Ryder Cup came. Just being a part of that winning team was something that was very special.
"So yeah, 2025 has been filled with a lot of good things, but there's still three more events to go. So just focused on now and trying to make sure I finish as strong as I can.
"Strange season. Again, you talk about what a great season I've had, and achieved some great things. But similar to the majors, really. I look at the year I've had on the Race to Dubai and where I sit, and it's kind of disappointing to be that far down and not really competing at the top end of the Race to Dubai.
"But I've always believed that wherever I am, I'm just trying to work on the right things, try and continue to improve because that's the most important thing. I'll stay focused on this week. I think that's all I can do. And yeah, try and have the best week possible. Try and finish the season as strong as possible."
Despite an incredible year of global success, which includes seven other worldwide top tens, Fleetwood singled out one part of his year as a key point of frustration for him in 2025.
The Englishman memorably finished second with a record-matching 63 at the U.S. Open in 2018, and has at least one top five in each of the four men's Majors throughout the previous three years. This season was disappointing in comparison, with Fleetwood's best result a tie for 16th at The Open Championship, followed by a tie for 21st at The Masters, a tie for 41st at the US PGA Championship, and a missed cut at the U.S. Open.
One of the only things now missing from his impressive resume, Fleetwood declared that he will do some reflecting as he aims for Major success in 2026.
"It's definitely something in my mind and I'll have written down. I feel like majors are absolutely career-defining tournaments, and I always try to feel like all the hard work I put in, I try to make sure I feel like I have a major winning game if you like going into those.
"This year was actually, as good as the season has been, it was a poor major year for me. I didn't come close to being in contention or competing in those majors. That's something I'll look back on and be slightly disappointed in, but also take away the lessons and look at what I could do better going into next year. Like I said, I feel like my game has been really good but those majors I just lacked getting into contention.
"Again, there's four of them a year. They come fast and sometimes it just doesn't happen for you. I'll be looking towards those next year and try to give myself the best chance I can."
First though for Fleetwood is a focus very much on performing well this week in India, with a course and a place he has some experience with.
While much has been made of the narrow fairways and demanding areas around the greens taking a lot of drivers out of play, Fleetwood believes that patience and strategy are more crucial than caution off the tee.
"I think the course is so good, I think you can have a definite strategy in how you want to play the course.
"I can't imagine many people doing it, but you can be as aggressive as you want, really, in terms of the clubs you're hitting off the tee. But overall you have to put the ball in play. Hitting off the fairway makes a huge difference and you have to control your iron play. You have to be patient, and you have to be strategic. And I really like that about golf courses when we get to play those.
"And I feel like it puts me in a good mindset I feel like when I go on the range this afternoon, I can practice for what the course requires."
He will get his first round under way alongside Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald and teammate Shane Lowry on Thursday from the first tee at 12:10pm local time.
