This could be the summer of Tommy Fleetwood

It took Tommy Fleetwood 164 attempts before he finally the claimed the trophy of a PGA Tour event. This long-awaited victory finally came to be at the end of the 2025 season, where he celebrated winning the Tour Championship, with notable figures such as Justin Rose in the gallery, cheering on his European teammate.  

The Englishman is a golfer that never fails to surprise me with the shots he can pull off at any given time. He is almost always a front runner in the build-up to a major tournament, but for some reason, has quite a struggle getting them over the line. With Tommy's biggest mental barrier broken, I have a feeling that this could be the summer of Tommy Fleetwood! 

Tommy Fleetwood is Back in Form

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

Despite having no PGA Tour wins so far in 2026, it would be incredibly harsh to disregard Fleetwood's season. With six top 10 finishes and seven top 25 finishes this season already, it's clear that Tommy is playing some pretty steady golf. Fleetwood entered the 2026 season at third in the world rankings, after a seriously incredible Ryder Cup showing. Since then, he has slipped down to sixth, making room for this season's front runners in Cam Young and Matt Fitzpatrick. Fairly standard happenings within the top ten of the world rankings.  

Rather disappointingly, Fleetwood hasn't had exceptional finishes in either of the majors we have already seen this season. A T33 finish at the Masters, where many had him picked to claim his first major, was quite a letdown, but he certainly wasn’t the only player that left Augusta slightly disappointed in April. Following that, at the PGA Championship, he failed to make the cut. However, I think it would seem the other two majors yet to be played might be a little more in his favour! 

Return to Shinnecock Hills

In Fleetwood's long wait to claim a PGA Tour victory, there are quite a few events and moments that will sit very clearly in the memories of many. The Travelers Championship in 2025 is certainly one of those for me, as USA Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley rallied home with the support of the entire course, taking the trophy out of Fleetwood's hands on the 18th green with a birdie finish.  

Tommy, in fact, has had six runner up finishes during his time on the PGA Tour, but one that is most memorable, has to be the 2018 US Open. Fleetwood shot an incredible 63, seven under, in round four to get within one shot of the leader Brooks Koepka. However, he was edged out by just one stroke. Gut wrenching. But what is most significant about this, is that it was at Shinnecock Hills, where this year's US Open will be played.  

Knowing the performance Tommy has put in there before, it's hard to believe that he won't be in contention to do it again. Matt Fitzpatrick won the US Amateur at The Country Club in Brookline, before returning ten years later and winning the US Open at the very same course. It's shown that Tommy knows his way around Shinnecock, and now with PGA Tour success behind them, could this be Tommy's greatest ever chance to secure a major title? 

Royal Birkdale Homecoming in July

Following on from his return to Shinnecock, there is a return that is even more significant and sure to be memorable for the Englishman. Tommy Fleetwood was born and raised in a seaside town in Southport. With a population of just over 94,000, it isn't flashy, and it isn't particularly well known globally, but for Tommy Fleetwood, this is home.   

More crucially, it's once again home to the Open Championship, which this July will return to Royal Birkdale, just a five-minute drive from Southport's town centre. I can’t speak for everyone, but I love a homecoming story. Be it a footballer returning to his home club after an illustrious career, or a boxer winning a world title in front of a home crowd. Here we have Tommy Fleetwood returning to his hometown in search of his first major title. 

To say he has a major advantage here would be a bit of an understatement. He'll be entering the tournament feeling on top of the world being back at his old stomping ground. And no doubt he will receive a great amount of support from the crowd around the course. Maybe the whole "return to home" idea brings an ounce of pressure and expectancy that could hang heavy on the shoulders, but should it be harnessed and embraced, I have no doubt Tommy Fleetwood will be highly competitive at this summer's Open Championship. 

I fail to believe that Tommy Fleetwood will retire from golf without a major title, but at the same time, the list of players who came so close but never got it over the line in their careers is ever growing. Do you think this summer is Tommy’s best chance to claim his much-deserved major championship? Or will the wait continue?