Tommy Fleetwood held off Japan’s Keita Nakajima to secure a two-shot victory in the DP World India Championship – and celebrated an eighth DP World Tour win with son Frankie on the 18th green.
Ryder Cup winner Fleetwood – who had ended his long wait for a first PGA Tour title at the Tour Championship to claim the FedEx Cup in August – produced a superb seven-under final round of 65 to finish at 22-under in Delhi.
Nakajima had been two strokes ahead going into Sunday, but could only manage three birdies as he signed for a 69. He ended two ahead of a three-man group of Ireland’s Shane Lowry, Englishman Alex Fitzpatrick and South African Thriston Lawrence, who also made 65 – which included an eagle on the 14th.
New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier had looked to also be in contention after going into the turn six-under for the day – only for a double-bogey seven on the par-five 14th to scupper his chances, with more dropped shots at the next and then again on 18.
Masters champion Rory McIlroy placed in a tie for 26th at 11 under, finishing with a final round of 71, which had two bogeys on the front nine and another at the 14th.
Fleetwood, who rattled off four successive birdies from the seventh, was happy to get another long overdue individual tournament victory under his belt – and make the most of a special family moment.
“I had said for all the good that has happened this year, a couple of things have disappointed me, that my DP World Tour sort of has, so another win feels great,” the Southport golfer said in an interview with the DP World Tour.
“We were at home last week and we were driving the buggy. I think we were playing golf together, and he [Frankie] just said randomly, ‘do you know what you’ve never done?’
“He said, ‘you’ve never won a tournament and I’ve been able to run on to the 18th green’. I was like, ‘I’m writing that down’, so I had that written down all week.
“It was just another opportunity really, there is going to be many more times where I hopefully get the chance to do that.
“But all day today, I had in my mind could I put myself in a position where I can actually make that moment happen?
“It is just one of those little things, it means a lot to me. It means so much to me. That was really cool, that is what I wanted to do all day.”
PA
