Tommy Fleetwood was crowned winner of the inaugural DP World India Championship on Sunday after finishing two shots clear at the top of leaderboard at Delhi Golf Club.
The Dubai-based Englishman started the day two behind overnight leader Keita Nakajima but produced a superb seven-under par 65 to power past the Japanese and clinch the title for what is his eighth DP World Tour crown.
Fleetwood is enjoying an unforgettable year having finally won his first PGA Tour crown, at the Tour Championship, in what was his 164th attempt which also secured him the FedEx Cup and its $10 million first prize.
He also helped Europe win historic back-to-back Ryder Cup titles after they defeated the United States 15-13 in front of a hostile home crowd in New York.
The 34-year-old won the Nicklaus-Jacklin Award for his efforts at Bethpage Black after finishing with four wins and a defeat with his Ryder Cup record now standing at 7–3–2, giving him the highest winning percentage among European players with at least 10 matches played.
Even after tasting more Ryder Cup glory, Fleetwood felt he still had more to achieve this year and winning on the European Tour was high on his list. For all his success on the PGA Tour this year, he was still not eligible for the closing two events on the European schedule.
Now he is. The victory moves him from No 94 to No 25 in the Race to Dubai, making him eligible for November's Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links and season-ending Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai.
“Since the Ryder Cup, I'd had a few questions about not qualifying yet for the final two events of the year," said Fleetwood after Sunday's win.
“I feel like for all the good that's happened this year, there was a couple of things disappointing me in my DP World Tour year. So yeah, another win feels great."
Fleetwood was also able to celebrate victory with his eight-year-old son Frankie who gave him a hug on the 18th green after holing his final put of the day.
“We were at home last week and we were driving the buggy – I think we were playing golf together - and he just said randomly: 'Do you know what you've never done? You've never won a tournament and then I've been able to run onto the 18th green'," said Fleetwood on Sunday.
“I had that written down all week. It was just another opportunity really. There's going to be many more times where I hopefully get the chance to do that, but that was all day today what I had in my mind.
“Could I put myself in a position where I can actually make that moment happen? It's just one of those little things. It means so much to me and that was really cool."
Nakajimi, meanwhile, struggled with accuracy off the tee when he needed to make up ground late in the final round, though he holed enough putts to stay close. He shot 69 and moved into the top 10 on the list of European Tour players who would be eligible for PGA Tour cards next year.
Shane Lowry (68), Thriston Lawrence (65) and Alex Fitzpatrick (67) tied for third at 270.
Rory McIlroy, playing in India for the first time in his career, birdied his final hole for a 71 to finish in a tie for 26th, 11 shots behind Fleetwood.
