There’s an age-old saying that if at first you don’t succeed, you try and try again. While the origins of that motivational message remain debated, the principles behind it can be applied to Tommy Fleetwood and his roller-coaster ride to PGA Tour success.

On the same day his beloved Everton entered their new era, winning their first Premier League home match since leaving Goodison Park, Fleetwood entered a new chapter in his golfing career by claiming his breakthrough victory on the American circuit.

There was never any doubting Fleetwood’s credentials as a world-class talent, having already won seven times on the DP World Tour and featured for Team Europe in two winning Ryder Cups, but question marks remained on when that elusive PGA Tour win would arrive.

Fleetwood has now ended years of near-misses and final-round heartbreaks by winning on the PGA Tour at the 164th attempt, with a three-shot victory at the Tour Championship having the added bonuses of FedExCup glory and its $10million (£7.4m) jackpot.

“You don’t need anything, but I wanted it [to win],” Fleetwood admitted in his victory press conference. “It completes the story of the near-misses and it has a crescendo to what has been building towards the back end of the season.

“I’m very proud of getting to these events and playing against all these amazing players. I think winning on the PGA Tour was a step that I wanted to make, and hopefully it doesn’t take me as long to win another one.”

How Fleetwood experienced long wait for PGA Tour win

Fleetwood had previously experienced 30 top-fives on the PGA Tour – including six runner-up finishes – without success, although the 34-year-old arrived in Atlanta with three top-fours in his last five worldwide starts.

He lost out over the closing holes in June’s Travelers Championship to Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, then squandered a two-shot lead with three holes to play at the FedEx St Jude Championship earlier this month.

Fleetwood ended tied-fourth a week later at the BMW Championship ahead of the Tour Championship, where he became the first player in history to finish inside the top six of the leaderboard after every round of the FedExCup Playoffs.

“I think it’s easy for anybody to say that they are resilient, that they bounce back, that they have fight – it’s different when you actually have to prove it,” Fleetwood explained. “There’s different types of mental strength.

“I’ve clearly got things wrong in the dire moments of tournaments and I might have made the odd dodgy decision, might have put a bad swing on it, but I’ve had to have mental strength in a different way.

“I’ve had to be resilient in terms of putting myself back up there, getting myself back in that position, no matter how many times it doesn’t go my way, no matter how many doubts might creep in. Think the right things, say the right things to yourself, say the right things outwardly.

“I am really pleased that I can be proof that if you do all the right things – and you just keep going – that it can happen.”

‘No one deserves it more’ – Fleetwood takes plaudits for FedExCup win

Fleetwood’s warm and engaging character had already long cemented him as a fans’ favourite, while the narrative surrounding his pursuit for a first PGA Tour win has captured the interest of players and fans alike.

Basketball stars LeBron James and Caitlin Clark shared updates of Fleetwood’s final-round progress on social media, with Tiger Woods, Justin Rose and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald among the first to congratulate him for his victory at East Lake.

Woods described the win as “a reminder that hard work, resilience, and heart do pay off”, while Rory McIlroy spoke out after his final round about “how great of an attitude he [Fleetwood] has towards the game”, with that view shared by many others.

“I’m always lucky with the support that I get,” Fleetwood admitted.” I said this last month or so when I’ve been in contention, it’s been amazing, and to get the support like that is just so special, and I never want to lose that.

“I hope everybody knows how grateful I am for it, and I said we’ll do it together and I felt like we did today. I’m really grateful for everybody that supported me and supported me through this.”

Fleetwood had failed to convert his previous three 54-hole leads on the PGA Tour but made amends this time around, never relinquishing top spot and holding off a star-studded leaderboard containing a host of possible American Ryder Cup players.

“Whether I’ve won or not, I’ve still been proud of my career so far, knowing that I still have a long way to go and lots of learning,” Fleetwood insisted. “This doesn’t change that really.

“This is hopefully just one win, the first of many to come. You cannot win plenty if you don’t win the first one I’m just happy that I got it done and happy with my work ethic. I’ll continue to try and get better and try to be the best I can be.”

There will be opportunities in the months and years ahead to push for more success, with Fleetwood up to a career-high world No 6 and with his PGA Tour status confirmed until at least the end of the 2030 season.

For now, it’s Tommy’s time to celebrate. For those who followed the journey, it was worth the wait.

What’s next?

Tommy Fleetwood has already confirmed his return to the BMW PGA Championship, held at Wentworth from September 11-14 and live on Sky Sports, ahead of making a fourth consecutive Ryder Cup appearance for Team Europe.

There will be extended live coverage from every day of Ryder Cup week, starting on Monday September 22, with round-the-clock coverage then live from 9am on Friday September 26. Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.