Editor’s note: This story is part of Peak, The Athletic’s desk covering leadership, personal development and success through the lens of sports. Follow Peak here.
After 12 years without a win on the PGA Tour, Tommy Fleetwood became well-versed in handling defeat and disappointment. And for every close call or near-miss there were always the predictable questions.
What is the burden of trying to get that first PGA Tour win feel like? How do you stay positive?
However, like the questions, Fleetwood’s answers became predictable. His consistent optimism even earned him a following of hopeful golf fans.
“As disappointed as I am, I have to try to find the strength to make it all a positive experience,” Fleetwood said just two weeks ago, following another near-miss. “We just go again.”
He embraced every disappointment — and found ways to benefit from them — which made his first PGA Tour win on Sunday all the more rewarding. Fleetwood won the Tour Championship and the 2025 FedEx Cup.
Here are four of our favorite lessons from Fleetwood’s journey to victory:
All of Fleetwood’s frustrating losses happened in the public eye, sometimes in gut-wrenching fashion. However, after each one, the thought of being in that same position again — and even having it not work out again — didn’t scare him.
“Never fear failure,” he said on NBC after his win. “Never be afraid of putting yourself in those positions again.”
To Fleetwood, failure isn’t scary. Not giving yourself a chance is.
“The longer it takes, the more that story builds, the easier it is to doubt yourself,” Fleetwood said. “You know that there’s been plenty talked about it, and you can’t get away from those things, no matter how much you want to be in your own bubble and say the right things to yourself. That’s always going to be around, and there’s always going to be a huge element of doubt there.
“I know exactly what the right things to do are. I actually felt very comfortable in this situation. I think the more you’re in this position, I don’t particularly like the word fail. I failed to win, for sure, but those experiences you learn from them. The more it doesn’t happen for you, the less you fear it. It’s strange, they sort of go together in a way.”
Over a year ago, Fleetwood sat down with golf influencer Rick Shiels. During the conversation, he acknowledged his goal of improving his self-talk.
“I don’t talk to myself particularly great all the time,” he admitted.
To help with this, he has tried to think about the bigger picture. Everyone has bad shots or disappointing moments, but it’s comforting to Fleetwood to focus only on the shot in front of him.
“Hit every shot to the best of your ability and then figure it out afterward,” he said. “That gives me the clarity.”
It’s worked for him following tournaments, too. After a loss, he admits it’s easy to sulk. However, rather than dwelling on it, he zooms out and looks at it from a broader view. Through that, he’s learned how to stay conscious of the way he speaks to himself.
“I always try to find the positives,” he said after yesterday’s win. “I’ll try to think the right way, speak the right way and do the right things. It just shows if you keep doing that, at some point it’s going to happen for you.”
With this attitude, Fleetwood built resilience through his losses, not resentment.
Before the final round even began on Sunday, LeBron James and Caitlin Clark were tweeting about Fleetwood. Thousands surrounded the final green, chanting, “Tommy! Tommy! Tommy!”
And following his performance, Tiger Woods, Justin Rose and other prominent golfers praised him.
It’s not uncommon for Fleetwood to be asked about this support in interviews, either. After all, it might give him some extra confidence under pressure.
When he spoke about it yesterday, though, it became evident that the praise is not what puts him at ease. It’s prioritizing trying to be a good person. Even after 15 years and 163 PGA Tour starts without a win, Fleetwood’s one piece of advice immediately after winning the Tour Championship was that.
“Good person first, try to be a good golfer second,” he said. “I’ve always tried to be that.”
Success looks different for everyone, and Fleetwood has proven you don’t have to be cutthroat to be a winner. And more than that, it’s still not about the trophy for Fleetwood; it’s about how he handled the journey to get there.
Earlier last week, Fleetwood said it’s vital that he is his “own best friend.”
He acknowledged that he’s always been proud of what he’s done in his career despite the number of times he’s come up short. After each setback, he continued to believe in himself and his abilities, because at the end of the day, he knew himself best.
My favorite quote from Fleetwood embodies that: “I’ve been a PGA Tour winner for a long time,” he told NBC. “It’s just always been in my mind.”
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