Tommy Fleetwood explained why he wasn’t feeling comfortable at the FedEx St. Jude, despite leading the tournament through two rounds.
The first round of the FedEx Cup playoffs is currently led by Tommy Fleetwood, who, through an exceptional first two days, leads fellow Englishman Justin Rose by four shots. Rose battled through illness on day one, but has played superbly despite that.
The 2025 St. Jude Championship sees 69 of the best golfers on the PGA Tour duel it out at TPC Southwind. It is typically 70, but Rory McIlroy skipped the event. Fleetwood is in search of his first win on the PGA Tour, and despite his phenomenal score, said he wasn’t happy with his swing at times.
Tommy Fleetwood explains why he leads the FedEx St. Jude despite not ‘feeling comfortable’
Fleetwood shot a six-under 64 in the second round to build a lead at the St. Jude. He got off to a red-hot start with three birdies in four holes, and had four straight birdies from 13 to 16.
He kept the ship steady through the middle of his round, parring every hole on his scorecard but the 18th. However, Fleetwood admitted he wasn’t happy with his swing at times during the day.
He explained to reporters, “Between holes nine and 12, I wasn’t feeling that comfortable with my swing. So actually, then, it was good to get on a run after that. I hit great shots in 13 and 14. I played those holes perfectly.”
Fleetwood birdied both holes on his four-birdie run.
He continued, “It’s not easy, really. I just happened to have played really well. When you shoot two good scores, it’s easy to say things have been going really well, but I think for the most part, I’ve been very good off the tee. My iron play has been solid, and I’ve rolled the ball well.
“It’s a course where you can really score well if you’re on the fairway. If you’re not, it’s a struggle. The two times I missed the fairway today were on nine and 18. Nine, I had to chip out, and yes, I made par, but I had to go up and down from 105 yards.
“On 18, I was out of position and made bogey. It’s very easy to do that. If you’re hitting it well off the tee, it makes the course very gettable.”
With Fleetwood leading the championship, he is daring to dream of his first PGA Tour win.
Tommy Fleetwood hopeful of securing first PGA Tour win, ‘Maybe this is the week’
Fleetwood is probably the best player on the PGA Tour to have never won. He has been a runner-up six times, and has 42 top-10 finishes, the most ever in the modern era without a win.
He’s won seven times on the European Tour, and was a key part of Europe’s dominant Ryder Cup win over the USA in Rome. He has the talent; he just needs to put it together over four straight days.
When asked about whether this was the week that Fleetwood would take his first win, he was typically level-headed.
He said, “Happy to put myself in with a chance over the weekend. This is exactly where you want to be and keep testing yourself. It hasn’t happened for me yet on the PGA Tour, but I would much rather be up there and not quite getting it than not there at all.”
“Who knows, maybe this week is the week. We’ll see and we’ll crack on from there.”
He can play it down, but this means a lot. Fleetwood was heartbroken at the Travelers Championship, which he lost to Keegan Bradley on the final hole.
He’s an elite talent on tour, and deserves to lift silverware for the first time.