When dreams slip away in the most painful fashion possible at the final hole

Tommy Fleetwood stood on the 15th tee Sunday afternoon at TPC River Highlands with a two-shot lead and his first PGA Tour victory finally within reach. After 41 top-10 finishes without a win, after coming so close so many times, this felt different. This felt like his moment.

Three holes later, the Englishman was walking off the 18th green in absolute devastation, his par putt sliding just wide of the cup as his maiden PGA Tour title slipped through his fingers in the cruelest way imaginable.

When Everything Falls Apart

The sequence that broke Fleetwood’s heart started on the 16th hole, where a bogey cut his lead to just one shot. Still manageable. Still in control. But the pressure was building with every step toward that final green, and you could see it weighing on him.

Standing over his approach shot on 18, Fleetwood knew exactly what he needed to do. A decent shot, two putts, and finally – finally – he’d have his breakthrough moment. Instead, his third shot left him six feet away from par, six feet away from at worst a playoff, six feet that might as well have been six miles.

The putt that followed will haunt him. Not because it was a terrible stroke, but because it was so close to perfect. The ball tracked toward the hole, held its line, and slid just past the right edge by the smallest of margins. Golf’s version of touching the rim and bouncing out.

The Pain of 41 Near Misses

This wasn’t just another close call for Fleetwood – this was the culmination of years of frustration and near misses on the PGA Tour. Forty-one top-10 finishes without a victory is a staggering statistic that speaks to both his consistency and his heartbreak.

He’s finished second in majors. He won Olympic silver. He’s been knocking on the door of PGA Tour success for what feels like a decade, and every time that door seems ready to open, something happens to slam it shut again.

“I’m gutted right now,” Fleetwood said afterward, and you could hear the exhaustion in his voice. Not physical exhaustion – emotional exhaustion. The kind that comes from caring so much and coming so close so many times.

The Worst Possible Ending

What made Sunday’s finish so brutal wasn’t just that Fleetwood lost – it’s how he lost. Leading by two with three holes to play is supposed to be comfortable. Leading by one going into the final hole still gives you control of your destiny.

But to miss a six-foot putt for par, to not even make it to a playoff, to hand the victory to someone else through your own mistake – that’s the stuff of nightmares for professional golfers.

“Leading by two with three to play. Leading by one going into the last and you don’t even make it to a play-off. It’s the worst way it could go,” Fleetwood said, and he’s absolutely right. There are easier ways to lose a golf tournament, but there aren’t many more painful ones.

The Pressure That Never Leaves

The cruelest part about Fleetwood’s situation is that every time he gets close now, the weight of all those previous near misses comes with him. Each opportunity carries the burden of every missed opportunity before it.

When you’ve been that close that many times without breaking through, the pressure becomes suffocating. Every putt matters more. Every shot carries more weight. And sometimes, that pressure becomes too much to bear, even for someone as talented and experienced as Fleetwood.

Still Searching for That First Victory

At 34, Fleetwood isn’t running out of time, but he’s not getting any younger either. The window for breakthrough victories doesn’t stay open forever, and days like Sunday at the Travelers Championship don’t come around as often as we’d like to think.

The most painful part of watching Fleetwood walk off that 18th green wasn’t seeing him lose – it was seeing him lose when he was so close to finally getting that monkey off his back. Forty-one top-10s and counting. The wait continues, and it gets more painful each time.