Tommy Fleetwood will have the sports world’s attention for yet another Sunday.
The 34-year-old Englishman is tied for the 54-hole lead at the 2025 Tour Championship — the last of three legs in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Saturday’s third round took Fleetwood fans on a rollercoaster around East Lake Golf Club. He had a stretch of four straight birdies on holes 5-8 sandwiched between bogeys on Nos. 4 and 9. It didn’t get any smoother on the back nine, either, as Fleetwood took a double bogey at the par-3 15th only to follow it up with back-to-back birdies on 16 and 17.
“I just think it was never a round that really flowed for me. It was difficult,” Fleetwood said. “I think it was damp conditions, wasn’t cold by any means but obviously different air and windier, and I just found it a bit more difficult today. But the one thing I was really happy with was my putter. I felt like when I was on the green, talk about flow, things were going really well. Felt like I was reading them great and in a really good rhythm, so that was good.”
Tommy Fleetwood still seeking his first win on the PGA Tour
It’s nothing new for anyone who’s followed Fleetwood throughout his career, and it’ll be another nail-biting conclusion as the vast majority of golf fans try to will the man nicknamed “Tommylad” to his first PGA Tour victory, which would also earn him the FedEx Cup.
His 44 top-10 finishes are the most of any player without a win in the Tour’s modern era, which started in 1983.
The heartbreak is fresh, too. Just two weeks ago Fleetwood held the 54-hole lead at the FedEx St. Jude Championship before stumbling down the stretch to finish tied for third, missing out on a playoff by one shot. A little more than a month before that, Keegan Bradley chased down Fleetwood and stole the Travelers Championship title with a two-shot swing on the 72nd hole.
But despite the recent brutal outcomes, Fleetwood’s glass is half full going into Sunday at the Tour Championship. That’s nothing new, either.
“I’ve caddied for my kids, and I know what I would say to them, and I think it’s all about being very clear with what you’re doing, having a great attitude, having a great frame of mind, make sure I’m telling myself all the right things and just commit to those things.
“I’m having the time of my life out there and I’m playing great and I’ve got to enjoy it while it’s happening. You never know. Tomorrow might be my time, it might not, but I’ll still have a great time doing it.”
Patrick Cantlay looks to snap victory drought at the Tour Championship
Tied with Fleetwood for the lead at 16 under is Patrick Cantlay, who is looking to snap a victory drought of his own, albeit not as severe as his English counterpart. Cantlay hasn’t won since the 2022 BMW Championship, but he’s in prime position to rejoin the winner’s circle after making birdie on four of his last five holes en route to a 6-under 64 in Saturday’s third round.
“I’m definitely driving the ball straighter this week, which is really important around here. The rough is very penal, so you can be aggressive if you’re playing from the fairway, and I’ve been able to do that for the most part this week.”
Cantlay is probably near the top of Keegan Bradley’s list of candidates to be a captain’s pick for the U.S. side at the 2025 Ryder Cup. He’s No. 15 in the standings but his recent play and experience in the event figure to bode well for Cantlay.
He says that’s not a concern going into Sunday, though.
“It’s always nice to have your game shape up at the end of the year, but like I said, I’m focused 100 percent on this week, and we’ll worry about the Ryder Cup a little later.”
Keegan Bradley wants Ryder Cup selection process to be ‘over with’
Cantlay’s selection might depend on whether or not Bradley chooses himself to play. That became a hot topic of discussion after Bradley’s dramatic win at the Travelers in late June, but it’s since died down a bit as the American frontman has failed to crack the top 15 in any event since.
Bradley entered this week at No. 11 in the Ryder Cup standings and he’s in solo fourth at the Tour Championship heading into the final round after making three straight birdies to cap off a 63 on Saturday.
“This might be my best round of the year, which I’m really proud of,” Bradley said. “I haven’t really particularly played this course great over the years, kind of middle of the road. When you hit the fairways out here, you can really get it, and I did that today.”
Unlike Cantlay, Bradley admitted that he can’t help but think about the Ryder Cup.
“I caught myself on the range today thinking about something I wanted to tell the team at Bethpage, and it happens to me throughout the round. I see a guy at the leaderboard and I remember who we’re thinking of pairing him with, and it’s great that they’re playing good, or I wish they were a little higher, whatever it is.
“It’s been a wild year. I’m just trying to tackle what’s in front of me, and I think I’ve done a good job of that.”
As for whether or not a win Sunday would make the decision to pick himself any easier: “We’re going to find out tomorrow. I’m either going to win or I’m not and we’re going to know the picks. We’re pretty confident with the picks that we have. One more day of golf to kind of finalize this whole thing, and I can’t wait. I’m done with this whole process. I want it over with either way.”
Bradley sits one behind Russell Henley, who enters Sunday at the Tour Championship in solo third place at 14 under. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is alone in fifth after three rounds. He turned in a round of 4-under 66 to get to 12 under for the tournament, one shot behind Bradley.
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