No, this is no different than any other week on the PGA Tour for the snake-bitten Englishman.
“Every tournament we play, I would picture myself winning it,” Fleetwood said on Friday after a second-round 7-under 63 at East Lake Golf Club vaulted him into a share of the lead with Russell Henley. “I would say it’s just another one of those. Obviously, it’s a very coveted one and a very big one, but yeah, I always sort of feel like I imagine winning every tournament, and this is just another one of those.”
Well, it’s not quite “just another one.” The winner takes home $10 million and is crowned the FedEx Cup champion.
Fleetwood can be forgiven for trying to exude a level of nonchalance to the proceedings. With six runner-up finishes and six more third-place results, he’s had his chances to win for the first time in the U.S. Why put more pressure on himself than he already is enduring?
His 63 on an overcast day was quite handsome, but only two players failed to break par under a second straight day of preferred lies in the fairway, and all 30 players own sub-par aggregate scores.
Henley, the first-round leader, birdied his final two holes for a 66 to join Fleetwood at 13-under 127. U.S. Ryder Cup hopeful Cameron Young is two back and alone in third after a 62 that featured an inward 29. Shane Lowry also shot 29 on the back nine in posting 63.
Young won his first tour title in the regular-season finale, the Wyndham Championship, and Fleetwood looked poised to follow him the next weekend at the opening playoff event, the FedEx St. Jude Championship, but stumbled over the closing stretch at TPC Southwind and fell to T-3. Last week, Fleetwood was a more palatable T-4 at the BMW Championship with four strong rounds, though he was never in contention.
An eight-time winner abroad, Fleetwood is, as the saying goes, trending.
“I think I’m playing really good golf,” he said. “… Maybe I don’t know whether it’s expected, but obviously when you’ve had a couple of disappointments or you’ve been close … obviously want to make the most of when you’re playing well, and just because I guess things haven’t worked out for me before doesn’t mean they won’t work out this week or next week or whenever that may be.
“Best possible scenario, put yourself in contention. Play well, put yourself in contention, and go from there. Just sticking to the process. I think I’m doing a lot of things well and just happy that I’ve got off to a great start in another tournament and I’m there again.”
Ranked 10th in the world, Fleetwood is a firm believer in learning from past mistakes and gaining experience. He has said more than once that he would rather be close and not win than to be far down a leaderboard. The biggest lesson is simply realizing that players who win the most are in contention the most. That requires consistently good golf. That’s where his game is at the moment. And he’s in contention again.
“That’s where I want to be. I keep going,” Fleetwood said. “I love the buzz when I am in contention, and, yeah, I’m just excited for the opportunity again.”