Fleetwood hopes to use course knowledge for success in Dubai
The English has made Dubai his home for the last two years
Tommy Fleetwood is hoping to draw on every little advantage as he looks to end the season with a flourish at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship next month.
The Englishman has enjoyed a fine season on the Race to Dubai, starting the year with a victory at the inaugural Dubai Invitational before recording his best ever Masters Tournament finish.
A few months after that third place finish at Augusta National, Fleetwood celebrated what he describes as the proudest moment of his career - winning the Silver Medal at the Olympic Games.
For many top players, such a season would be one for the history books. Yet, while Fleetwood acknowledges his accomplishments, he is as hungry as ever for more success.
“I think there's been a lot of good,” said Fleetwood at a media roundtable for UAE-based journalists.
“I guess all the guys at the top always strive for more, so I'm never that satisfied. But when you look at it as an overall picture, I won this year, and it was in Dubai with the family there, which always means that little bit more. It’s just another experience.
"Third at the Masters, that was my highest finish there. The Olympics was probably, to this point, the proudest moment of my career, standing on the Olympic podium.
"And then I've been playing very solid and consistently to get back into the top 10 in the world.
"So, there've been a lot of positives, but at the same time, there've been plenty of times where I feel like I've played better than my results. I've had an unbelievably consistent year, but with its fair share of feeling like I had more to give in a way.
"There are still two tournaments left, and I still have goals that I'm yet to achieve this year. They're two tournaments I’m really looking forward to, and there’s plenty to aim for.
"So, I think, as a grade, it's been on the higher end for sure – definitely over a consistent period.
“When you give me a list of good achievements for the year, it sounds really good. But when you’re in the middle of it, you kind of like (shrugs shoulders), think it’s great and then move on or whatever.
"When you do hear somebody read back a few things from what’s been a really good year, it sounds a lot better than what I would probably give it.”
The two aforementioned tournaments that will end Fleetwood’s season are very close to home – the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and DP World Tour Championship.
A two-time winner of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Fleetwood has made the UAE his home for the past two years and regularly plays at Jumeirah Golf Estates, which also hosts his Tommy Fleetwood Academy.
With the Earth course - home to the DP World Tour Championship - practically in his backyard, the seven-time DP World Tour winner is arguably better prepared than most heading into the final Rolex Series event of the season.
His course knowledge has certainly helped him in the last two years, with Fleetwood finishing in a share of fifth at the 2022 edition before narrowly missing out on the title last year, finishing runner-up to Nicolai Højgaard.
Having already claimed a win in Dubai earlier this year at Dubai Creek Resort, could Fleetwood’s home advantage see him cap off his season with another victory in the UAE?
“I have noticed a big difference over the last couple of years coming to the DP World Tour Championship,” he says.
“I’ve played the tournament since 2013, so I’ve been to the course a lot, but I have noticed a difference since living here, in terms of playing the course more often.
“If I’m going to practice, I do it at Jumeirah Golf Estates - practice at the academy and play the golf course - so I do have a lot more experience with that now.
"I also think being able to stay in your own house is amazing, as we travel so much and spend so much time in hotels.
"The two times The Open was at Birkdale and Hoylake, both sort of close to where I’m from, I stayed at home because it feels amazing when you get home. You just feel that little bit further away from the tournament, like you're not in it the whole time.
“We stay in some beautiful hotels, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not your own bed with your own things. I love that I’m able to stay in my own place during the tournament, and I’m very lucky to have that opportunity.
“Any little advantage, I’ll take. I’ll draw on them again.”