Tommy Fleetwood is looking to make sure he puts himself in more positions to win, starting with the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, which is live. Sky Sports from Thursday.
Fleetwood has had an exceptional 2024, finishing in the top 10 in the world rankings and winning the Dubai Championship, but is often touted as a player who often just shy away from the big wins.
Indeed, the Englishman recognizes that more consistency is needed from him throughout the year to put himself in the mix on the final day, a Rory McIlroy trait he believes makes him a “big” winner.
“Yeah, it’s hard to win. You can look at a number of things that will lead to more wins, but I think at the end of the day, trying to be as consistent as possible, put me in those positions as much as possible,” Fleetwood said.
“I think one of the biggest winners of my generation, well, if not the biggest, is Rory (McIlroy).
“Rory gets in those situations all the time and wins a lot as a result. I like to look at the top players and their level of consistency, and I know you look at someone like Scotty Scheffler and the season he’s had, which is ridiculously phenomenal, of course is
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Highlights from the first round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links
“But just looking at guys who are constantly fighting within themselves and then overcoming those situations and then picking things up, I think that’s the kind of player I want to be.
McIlroy has already won more Hero Dubai Desert Classics than any other player, and last year’s victory was his fourth, and this week he has a chance to extend his own record and become the first player to lift the Dallah Cup.
The Northern Irishman has not finished outside the top 10 at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic since his victory in 2009, which saw him claim his first DP World Tour title, where he became the tournament’s youngest ever champion, finishing sixth a year later. 10th in 2011, fifth in 2012, ninth in 2014 before Taking a three-shot victory in 2015.
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Highlights from day three of the Team Cup as Great Britain and Ireland take on continental Europe
Now Fleetwood is looking to channel McIlroy’s winning mentality to try and take the trophy himself and start 2025 with victory in the DP World Tour’s first Rolex Series event.
“I want to continue to improve my all-around game and put myself in a position to win as many times as possible and then win as a result,” he continued.
“I think, of course, like I say, you can look at any time when you’re in contention, you look at, Oh, I could have done that better, or I could have done that better, or I made a poor shot. : there or it could have been different, but just keep being consistent, put myself out there and hopefully the time will come more often.”
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A special offering an in-depth look at Rory McIlroy’s 2024 season, exploring whether it can be considered a success given the enormous pressure and high expectations placed on him.
Although Fleetwood calls Dubai home and has never missed an event in his professional career, he only boasts two top 10s at Emirates Golf Club.
In 2025, after 14 years of trying, he wants that to change a lot with victory.
“Yeah, I love the look of this tournament and I’ve never played it every year since my first tour. I absolutely love the golf course,” Fleetwood added.
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Rory McIlroy’s swing changes helped him produce some fantastic iron shots en route to winning the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
“I still haven’t shown myself to compete for this tournament, but I’ll keep trying. And I think everyone here loves this time of year.
“I think everybody’s starting to feel fresh, really positive. I think the course, as I say, is great, and I think Dubai as a city, everybody just likes to come back and they just feel very familiar with the place because it’s played such a role in the life of the tour over the years. :
“Yeah, I look at all the pictures of them holding the cup and I always want to be in one, but I’ve never been close enough.”
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Highlights from day three of the Team Cup as Great Britain and Ireland take on continental Europe
How can I view activities?
Sky Sports will have extended coverage of all four rounds of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic as well as Featured Groups live from 4am every morning. Sky Sports Golf and bringing a bonus action before the main action.
Full coverage starts at 7.30am on Thursday and Friday, before 7am on weekends, all four rounds of the PGA Tour’s American Express and Latin American Amateur Championship are also live on Sky Sports. Stream the DP World Tour, Specials and more NOW!.
