Winning the Masters Tournament is no easy feat. In fact, it took the World No. 2 Rory McIlroy around 18 years to win his first Masters in 2025. Many elite golfers, including Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, and Rickie Fowler, have yet to win the green jacket. Among the many is Tommy Fleetwood. However, this year is a little different for Fleetwood.

The DP World Tour pro won the 2025 Tour Championship and recently topped the DP World India Championship leaderboard. Looking at his impressive form, Charlie Hulme, host of The Smylie Show, was wondering if he could win the Masters in 2026.

But that’s not what the retired PGA Tour player thinks. “I wouldn’t say I mean Masters, he’s had some good finishes at that event, but still, he’s not the longest player, like he doesn’t hit his irons necessarily crazy high. Now I wouldn’t call him a short player, but he doesn’t, like his season average off of the tee is less than 300 yards,” said Kaufman on the Smylie Show.

Tommy Fleetwood recently won the inaugural DP World India Championship. He finished 22 under par, 266, to edge past Keita Nakajima, who finished at 20 under par. From ending his long wait for a PGA Tour victory to capturing the FedEx Cup in August, Fleetwood continued his fairy-tale year at Delhi, India.

This shows that he is running high on motivation and inspiration, following his amazing victory at the DP World India Championship. With all this, it would be ideal to think that Fleetwood would carry the form and motivation to win at Augusta National. But as Kaufman pointed out, some factors may hinder his goal.

For one, Fleetwood’s average driving distance is less than 300 yards, which is modest compared to many top contenders. For instance, Bryson DeChambeau drives around 330 yards, while others like Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Åberg, Jon Rahm, and Patrick Cantlay follow closely. Secondly, there’s his putting inconsistency. Fleetwood is deadly accurate with his drives and irons, but the same cannot be said about his putts. For example, during the 2025 Travelers Championship, he missed a short par putt of under 7 feet on the last hole.

The DP World Tour pro’s best finish in a Masters Tournament is tied at 3, which he achieved in 2024. This alone is proof to show that Fleetwood has the talent and skills to surprise Kaufman, other golfers, and fans. That being said, the retired PGA Tour golfer thinks that Fleetwood may win the Open Championship or the US Open, but might not make it to the top at the Masters Tournament. “The Open, I think, will be the place where he either wins that or a US Open,” said Kaufman.

Fleetwood, on the other hand, is motivated by the words of his son, Frankie. Right before the tournament, a special father-son moment paved the way for a memorable win for the English golfer.

Tommy Fleetwood’s emotional reason behind the Delhi Golf Club win

Fleetwood is high on inspiration and motivation, thanks to his son Frankie. After winning his 8th DP World Tour title, Tommy Fleetwood shared that Frankie wanted to be able to run on the 18th green, just a week before the tournament. “We were at home last week, and we were driving the buggy. I think we were playing golf together, and he just said randomly, ‘Do you know what you’ve never done?’ He said, ‘You’ve never won a tournament and I’ve been able to run on to the 18th green.’ I was like, ‘I’m writing that down,'” said Fleetwood.

When a son makes such a request, it is natural for the father to want to fulfill it. For now, running on the Delhi Golf Club green might be the biggest moment of both their lives. However, who knows? Frankie might also be running onto the 18th green at Augusta National. That moment will certainly be something special for any golfer, let alone Fleetwood.