Tommy Fleetwood has become one of the most popular golfers of his generation. He is adored by fans wherever he tees it up, is respected by his peers, and is often praised for the way he carries himself.
It’s fair to say he is one of golf’s good guys.
But his popularity has fed into and created a narrative around his acumen on the golf course that I just can’t get behind. One that simply doesn’t match his track record.
He’s a player that is so often spoken about and put into the same conversations as some of England’s greatest modern golfers. Yet when you strip away the personality, the beauty of his swing and, of course the hair, this talk is verging on libellous.
Let me just get one thing straight right out of the gate. I do not for one minute believe Fleetwood is a bad player. Far from it and quite the opposite.
He is one of the finest ball strikers of his era. I have spoken glowingly about how I think he has one of the finest golf swings on tour down the years.
It’s a motion that could be lifted straight from a coaching manual – balanced at address, beautifully centred in the backswing and producing one of the most efficient shallowing moves in the game.
Every phase of his action, from his textbook set-up to his perfectly balanced finish, is something golfers can learn from.
In fact, few golfers contend so frequently at the top end of leaderboards each week. The problem is somewhere down the line, we have confused consistency with greatness, and I don’t think that’s right.
Effectively, the 35-year-old has built a lot of his career on putting himself in contention. That may seem harsh to say about someone who has eight wins on the DP World Tour, a win on the PGA Tour and recorded a top-five in all four majors.
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But is this all really enough to put him in the company of golf’s elite? Not in my book.
Both Justin Rose and Fleetwood are popular English golfers. Both have represented Europe in the Ryder Cup exceptionally. And both have enjoyed long careers at the top level.
But that’s where the similarities end.
Rose has a major championship to his name. He has an Olympic gold medal and a long list of PGA Tour victories that buff out quite the résumé.
The Southport native simply doesn’t have any of this, and I believe some fans put them in the same category. Comparing the two almost undersells and massively undervalues what Rose has achieved.
The same can be said about Lee Westwood. It’s easy to forget just how good the now LIV Golfer was during the pomp of his career. The man knocked prime Tiger Woods off the World No.1 spot.
In fact, throughout his career, he has spent a total of 22 weeks as the best golfer in the world. A feat Fleetwood has yet to achieve.
Everyone loves Fleetwood. I love Fleetwood. I think he’s class. But I don’t think we can put him in the same world as Rose, or certainly Westwood.
For me, the best comparison to Fleetwood’s career to date is someone like Matt Kuchar.
Kuchar was a cash machine. Fleetwood is a cash machine. But neither can get over the line when the biggest stakes are there to be won.
The American is the poster boy of consistency, which saw him climb the world rankings and regularly appear on leaderboards.
He carved out an outstanding career. Yet he also developed a reputation for not winning as often as someone of his talent probably should have.
One can’t help but see the same flaws with the man from the other side of the pond. Fleetwood owns a win column that is painfully sparse and underwhelming.
None of this is aimed at diminishing what he has achieved. I’m pretty confident in saying most of us golfers, never mind professionals, would dream of the career Fleetwood has had to date.
His longevity is especially impressive when you think about the level of opposition he has had to compete with over that time. Golf has never been more closely contested with how strong players are coming out of the American college system, as well as the standard ability on tour.
Of course, he can and most likely will go on to have yet more success. But there is a difference between being outstanding and one of the game’s greats, something I believe he currently comes up short at.
Until he ticks that major box, or starts to win more consistently, how can he belong in that conversation?
When all is said and done, and the dust has settled on his career, no one will be talking about Fleetwood. His career is simply too painfully average.
And that’s why, despite all his talent, Tommy Fleetwood may take the crown as the most overrated golfer of his generation.
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