PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 22, 2022

Tommy Fleetwood

Southern Hills Country Club

Flash Quotes

JOHN DEVER: Good afternoon, and welcome back to the 2022 PGA Championship here at Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa, Oklahoma. We are pleased to be joined by Tommy Fleetwood.

Tommy just posted a 3-under par 67 in his final round. Tommy, five spectacular birdies coming in. Found a great groove. What do you do now? Do you hold out any hope --

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: No --

THE MODERATOR: -- that you get in the mix somehow? Or is there anything there?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: No, I haven't even -- no, I haven't even contemplated that. I mean, I'm going to be happy wherever I finish and -- yeah. I mean, no, I've never thought it was enough but it was great.

Sort of after, I was just saying once I got off the bogey train on 11 where I managed to hit the green and two-putt 11, things picked up, and just to have a finish like that -- I had the juices flowing down the back nine where I was never in contention, but you're still trying to get the best finish you can, and majors mean a lot to everyone, and to have what's going to be best result of the year so far in a major, yeah, it's great.

So yeah, I'm happy sort of with however that finishes up.

Q. How pleasing is it, as you say, in the context of the season to have a result like this especially in a major?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, keep practicing well. Keep doing a lot of good things. I think I'm showing a lot of consistency which is kind of like how I feel that I've always, you know, played -- when I've played my best, I feel like I've sort of had a good level of consistency, and I've lacked in -- you know, for a good period of time, I've lacked like the really, you know, high-end results, like a top five or top three or wins.

So today is good just to have that, have work that you're doing pay off. I'll wake up tomorrow and I'll start practicing again and keep going.

But I think no matter how hard you're working, with how -- without like results and like positive things happening, it's always more difficult the next day to just get up and feel like you are doing the right things and have confidence in that.

Yeah, I'm pleased with how things are working out. And this hopefully is just another step in going that way.

Q. You alluded to it a little, but do you feel this might be the high-end result you're looking for to kick start things with what's coming up as well?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: One of them, yeah. I think, well, with two majors into the year, as well, the Masters was my best finish that I've ever had in a Masters. This is the best finish I've ever had at the PGA. If I can keep that train going, the other two should be decent weeks.

It's good to see, like especially in a major in like the toughest test, how that actually pans out. Like last week, I finished 5th but I shot 12-under and I felt like I could have played a different sort of setup and actually shot the same score. Because I felt like I hit it really well and just didn't score at all.

So to come out in a major and play solid and do that, yeah, it gives you a boost and gives you some confidence going into the next period. I mean, it's busy now, and two majors left every week is -- you know, every week is a big event always these days.

Yeah, it's nice that I'm sort of racking up what I feel is like really good golf. Again, whether I finished 5th today or 20th or 25th, I'd have felt like I put four more days of, I've played very similar like every day. Not really having one sort of round where I can't seem to get it around and I'm hitting it all over the place.

Again, there are more positives, and keep pushing on.

Q. You talk about turning points, and you're saying about how it's been very similar. But can those five birdies be that turning point? Can you trick yourself into thinking that?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, I mean, I'd rather make five birdies than five bogeys. I think that's a better turning point.

Like I said, I think the course has been a really good setup this week, and at any point, you can just -- I started with three bogeys yesterday and I was so pleased with yesterday's round that I started that way and shot 1-under, basically, yesterday.

Today again, just kept going. Probably a sign of that I'm feeling more confident that I can just keep going and trust that it will probably turn itself around in the end. I'm not going to keep making bogeys. And we'll see.

Funny thing is with golf, whether you've won this week or missed the cut or finished fifth, sixth, whatever it is, you get on to next week and you start off fresh.

I think, yeah, more than anything, I think doing that sort of on the back nine today down the stretch and actually getting the best out of the day and the finish is something that I'm really chuffed about. I did the same at Hilton Head. I had a really good Sunday there where I putted great and I was only two shots off the winning score there.

I think, yeah, from an outside perspective, and if you look at the bigger picture which we never do because we're so, like, obsessed with how to get better, I think it's looking good.

Q. Just out of interest, what is your short schedule going forward leading up to the U.S. Open?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Play next week and then Porsche in Hamburg and then have a week off at home before U.S. Open.

Q. And how much are you looking forward to obviously The Open being at St Andrews this year, especially the 150th?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: It will be cool, won't it. Yeah, I love The Open. Like it gives me a buzz every time it comes around. I love St Andrews and I think everybody is just so, so excited about that event and what it's going to be about.

I think it's great to be a part of it. I think everybody will appreciate what like a spectacle it is and how meaningful it is, but at the same time when I'm there, I'll just get my head down and try and do my best.

But favorite tournament at my favorite course, I'll be very excited to play.

Q. You're not running off to catch a flight, are you? Nobody's exactly --

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Justin's actually waiting for me. Justin Rose is waiting for me now, so I'll leave eventually.

Q. How big a test has the last couple years been for you patience-wise, the slip down the rankings?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, part of life, I guess, is you have your good times and your bad times. I've never stopped working. I've always tried my best, even whether I've got it wrong, I've always felt like I've been working really hard.

It's difficult because you're not performing how you want to or you're not getting out of it what you want to and your game isn't really even close to being able to compete at the highest level, so it's always like a -- it's always a struggle in that sense.

But I think everybody that gets to a certain level, with the right information, is by far good enough to come out the other side. Hopefully that's what I'm doing. I mean, it's not been -- it's not been like, you know, a humongous like slump. It's just not been very good at all and not how I want to play the game. It's not -- you know, I don't really, you know, want to be as mediocre as I have been.

So trying to pick things up, and yeah, be the player that I want to be and try and win the biggest events.

JOHN DEVER: You've been too kind with your time. Thanks for your week with us.