Sunday showdowns have fans on the edge of their seats, much like a nail-biting tennis match at Wimbledon. The serve-and-volley drama, the ace-or-error suspense – it’s a thrill ride. Similarly, golf fans tuned in to the 2025 TOUR Championship, craving that same rush. And when Tommy Fleetwood claimed his maiden PGA Tour title, the crowd’s cheer was the perfect soundtrack. But… for Fleetwood, more needs to happen.

In a recent interview with No Laying Up Podcast, Fleetwood shared his thoughts, saying that even after achieving big goals (first Tour win), he’s still hungry for more. He admitted, “I guess I’ve not reached as many mountaintops as most people or a lot of people, or I wouldn’t consider myself to have.” He agrees that winning the FedExCup was a brilliant first move, but what if something even better can come along next time?

“I have plenty of things that I feel like I want to achieve still in the game, but also I do love working at my game, and I know that, you know, there’s times when you have a great tournament and feel unsatisfied, and there’s times when you’ve not done as well and you feel like you’ve done so many good things,” he adds. The win was marred by controversy, however. Fans bristled at the new format and Scottie Scheffler‘s omission from the winner’s circle, despite racking up nearly double the FedExCup points of Rory McIlroy (7456 vs 3687).

Many slammed Fleetwood’s $10M win as a “consolation prize,” arguing it was tainted by the scrapped stroke-play format. But, of course, that does not mean Fleetwood did not like taking his chances with the tournament.

After taking a 54-hole lead at the TOUR Championship, he confessed, “I would way rather be there and fail than not be there at all.” Did that single statement not lead us to this moment? Well, it certainly has. Now, weeks after that win, he admits, “I just get a lot out of trying to be, like, trying to improve every day, trying to be the best golfer I can be at some point. Whether I’ve reached my potential or not, I don’t know. I definitely don’t feel like I have.” His fellow Tour pros have often echoed this sentiment.

Take Rory McIlroy, for example. After winning his first Masters and completing the Grand Slam, he still wasn’t content, which led to speculations. He wanted more. Before The Open 2025, he was honest about it, saying, “Look, I climbed my Everest in April, and I think after you do something like that, you’ve got to make your way back down, and you’ve got to look for another mountain to climb. An Open at Portrush is certainly one of those.” He failed to achieve that, but you cannot deny – the craving is still there.

Similarly, in Fleetwood’s case, his next mountaintop is the Ryder Cup. He has made that much clear.

Tommy Fleetwood is hoping to woo the American audiences at Bethpage

“We are firmly in the middle of Ryder Cup season,” Tommy Fleetwood said following his TOUR Championship win. Fleetwood is set for his fourth straight stint with Team Europe, having played in 2018, 2021, and 2023. The current World Number 13 had a dream debut at Le Golf National, going 4-1, and sealed Europe’s win in Rome in 2023.

Now, he’s gunning for his first victory on foreign soil in New York this September. Not only that, he will also be looking forward to helping Europe clinch its first away win since 2012.

But is that the only thing at the top of his mind? Well, not really. “Well I hope they don’t dislike me too much for a week. I hope our love for each other remains.” Still, he admitted, “It’s an experience that I’ve definitely never had before, an away New York crowd, and that’s probably the same for all of us. I’m just really looking forward to embracing it and taking it all in and enjoying it.”

And that shouldn’t be too hard for Tommy Fleetwood. With his upbeat vibe and effortless swing, Fleetwood has become a crowd-pleaser on the PGA Tour. As he walked the back nine on Sunday at the TOUR Championship, fans cheered, chanting “Tommy, Tommy, Tommy.” That’s just one instance, but what a fitting tribute to his growing global fanbase!