Sometimes, lessons shared with your kids can become the very mantra you carry forward into your own life. And no one knows this better than Tommy Fleetwood. With three kids with whom he has spent countless moments caddying, those hangouts turned into golf masterclasses. Now, with the final round of the Tour Championship ready to tee off, Fleetwood is finding his groove back in those exact advices. How will that shift the Sunday round for the PGA Tour pro, hunting for his maiden PGA title at East Lake?

Following the Saturday round, one interviewer asked Fleetwood how he intended to use his “best friend mantra” heading into the grand finale. The question instantly took Fleetwood back to his caddying sessions with his kid. “I’ve caddied for my kids, and I know what I would say to them,” he answered. “It’s all about being very clear with what you’re doing, having a great attitude, having a great frame of mind, make sure I’m telling myself all the right things and just commit to those things.” The mantra is simple. To have a positive outlook, freeing yourself of speculations and Sunday pressure.

However, the real question is: Has Fleetwood really been able to implement this mindset shift? Without doubt, the PGA star has had a remarkable year. Fleetwood reached 7 top 10s, including a runner-up in the Travelers Championship and a playoff round at St. Jude. However, the titles column remained starkly empty. And it is not just this season. The PGA star has more than 40 top 10 finishes, yet has not a single PGA title. This underscores a disturbing pattern: Fleetwood’s crumbling form under Sunday pressure.

However, moving into Sunday, Fleetwood seems to have adapted a mindset that offers him more freedom. Yes, it’s the same advice he had for his kids back home. And now he seems to be living with it, beaming with a liberated, positive outlook. “I am lucky enough that I get to be one of those guys, so I’m having the time of my life out there and I’m playing great and I’ve got to enjoy it while it’s happening,” remarked Fleetwood, talking of moving into the finals. And it feels like Fleetwood is better with the finals pressure this time at East Lake, too. “Tomorrow might be my time, it might not, but I’ll still have a great time doing it.” 

This is the kind of wisdom that comes from soaking in multiple close-calls and near-misses. Having spent countless hours in the rallying crowds, Fleetwood has developed his own mantra for dealing with the pressure. Will he finally find his first title here at East Lake? The leaderboards couldn’t agree more.

Tommy Fleetwood is on a hot run at the PGA Tour season finale

East Lake has had its fair share of birdie sprees. But none like the consistent swings of Tommy Fleetwood. Starting right off the bat with 7 birdies on his first round, Fleetwood carded a fierce 64. He didn’t fail to follow that up in the second round with 8 more birdies, with 6 of them coming in the back nine. Although he stumbled on the 16th hole with a bogey, he quickly rebounded with back-to-back birdies on holes 17 and 18. He finished 63 for the day, pushing him right to the top of the leaderboard.

In comparison, Fleetwood faced a few struggles on Saturday. Even though birdies weren’t missed, two bogeys on holes 4 and 9, and a notorious double-bogey on the tricky par-3 15th, derailed his momentum. He finished 3-under for the day at 67. However, his strong performance through every round has kept his No. 1 position in the leaderboard firm. Joining him at No. 1 on Saturday, however, was Patrick Cantlay, who is prepared all the way through for the Tour Championship.

If Fleetwood can keep the fire going even during the final round at East Lake, no one can stop him from grabbing his first PGA title, along with the $10 million FedEx Cup title. There are other storylines to follow, including Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup dilemma. However, none more interesting than Fleetwood’s historic run.