Tommy Fleetwood appeared to have a maiden PGA Tour win within his grasp at the Travelers Championship.
After beginning the final round with a three-shot lead at TPC River Highlands and with 41 top-10 finishes without a win behind him, he scrapped his way to a one-shot lead approaching the 72nd hole.
However, there was one big problem for the Englishman – local hero Keegan Bradley, who had the backing of a passionate crowd willing him to produce something special and win the tournament for the second time in three years.
All seemed on track for Fleetwood following his tee shot onto the fairway, but indecision with which club to use for his second didn’t instil confidence, and fears over what might follow were confirmed when he left his approach at the par four almost 50 feet from the hole – not a disaster, perhaps, but enough to leave the door ajar for Bradley.
He didn’t disappoint, leaving his approach within six feet of the hole before going on to take the title with a birdie after Fleetwood could only make a bogey.
Afterwards, Fleetwood reflected on his latest PGA Tour near miss and admitted he was angry at the way events had unfolded. Asked how he would process the disappointment, he said: “I haven’t been in this situation for a while. I think, you know, when it sort of calms down – I’m upset now, I’m angry – when it calms down, look at the things that I did well, look at the things that I can learn from.
Keegan Bradley won the Travelers Championship for the second time in three years
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Despite Fleetwood’s late heartbreak, he was determined to take the positives, adding: “I said yesterday I haven’t been in this position all year, so it’s been awhile, felt like I did a lot of good things, but there was things that I definitely can do better, and I have to do better.
“So I did plenty of things well enough this week to win, I didn’t do that, it hurts. When it calms down, the most stupid thing to do and the worse thing to do would be make a week like this a hindrance to what you do going forwards.
“I obviously played great, I put myself in a great position, I was leading the tournament for 71 holes. I just want to make sure that I can put myself in this position as soon as possible again and try and correct what I did…
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