Tommy Fleetwood said he was ‘upset’ to miss out on a first PGA Tour win after a one-over par final round saw him end the Honda Classic in third.
The overnight leader needed a birdie at the par-five 18th to force a play-off with South Korea’s Im Sung-Jae but hit second shot in the water as he closed with a bogey. Im shot a four-under 66 to win a first PGA Tour title on six under, one ahead of Mackenzie Hughes.
Fleetwood, a five-time winner on the European Tour, took a one-shot lead into the final round at PGA National in Florida, and he extended that advantage with birdies on the opening two holes. But in breezy conditions, two dropped shots saw him fall back into a share of the lead heading into the back nine. A bogey at the 13th then had him playing catch-up as Im produced some stellar golf. The South Korean birdied 15 and 17 and set the clubhouse target.
Fleetwood had to birdie the last two holes to catch him and he holed a putt for birdie at the 17th. But after a perfect drive down the last, his hopes disappeared when his five-wood approach shot landed in the water.
“That’s golf. Of course, I’m frustrated, upset, but I’m fine,” Fleetwood said after claiming a fourth top-three result in his last six tournaments. “I feel like I’m quite a consistent player. I got up there and had a chance of winning. I’m not doing that as much as I would like, but winning is hard. You have to keep pushing forward and I’m not getting worse at golf. I’m getting better.”
The resurgent Lee Westwood shot a level-par 70 to finish joint fourth on three under, while fellow Englishman Luke Donald was two shots further back after closing with a 72. Westwood is now up to 28th in the world rankings.