Franklin (left) with his father Tommy Fleetwood.
Credit: Special arrangement
New Delhi: "You have never won and I've never ran onto the green," was the passing comment Franklin had made a few days ago to his father Tommy Fleetwood.
The 34-year-old golfer was listening but chose not to react. Instead, the senior Fleetwood put those exact words in his notebook that night, was reminded of it every now and then this week and ensured he made Franklin's dream come true on Sunday when he won the inaugural DP World India Championship.
"Even yesterday, when I had that bad stretch, I was at the front of the 18th green and needed an up and down (chip and putt) to get into the final group and I was very aware of that. Today I had a lot of motivation going in," said Fleetwood at the presser after his victory.
"I try and keep my eyes off Frankie when I'm playing. I try to focus on what I'm doing. But every now and again, I'd have a look and I knew that was kind of what I was aiming for today. So that was a nice feeling on 18th (when he ran on to the green to hug his dad)."
This very nature of his is what makes the golfer endearing and relatable for the fans. While his game of precision was admired, his genuine effort to connect with those who came out to watch him play made the Englishman one of the favourites to win the title.
In his third visit to the country — 2016 Hero Indian Open (T-67) and 2012 Avantha Masters (T-83) — Fleetwood scored a two-shot victory over Japan's Keita Nakajima following a final day card of seven-under 65 (68-64-69).
"I said at the beginning of the day, it's another opportunity. These are the times that we're going to look back on. Whether it happened for me today or not, I knew that it was important for me to go out there and enjoy it. I just happened to play great. And Keita, I have to give credit to him. I said to him afterwards that he played amazing. It was a pleasure to play against him today."
Like most competitors this week, Fleetwood's driver was out of the bag and his iron play — off the tee and on the fairways — on point. While his approach shots to the green helped him make more regulations than most, a hot putter throughout the week separated him from the rest.
"It's been a unique test. I felt like the course suited me on a lot of levels. I worked out a strategy on the kind of clubs I wanted to hit off the tee and how it would position me. Going back to the putting, there was a four-hole stretch where I missed some putts on Saturday night. I went and practised it and today when I came out holed some great putts today."
The season has been a memorable one for Fleetwood who became the FedEx Cup champion before being a part of the European Ryder Cup-winning team. Will a Major's win be up next?
"I still have so much to do in my career, and I know that each day, how I think and how I act and how I practise and how I work goes towards those things. Whether I achieve all the things that I set out to do or not is a different story."