Honda Classic: Top 10 power rankings at PGA National

Tommy Fleetwood impressed in his 2018 debut at the Honda Classic, though the Englishman decided not to return a year later.

Now, he’s back and seeking his sixth straight worldwide top-20. Fleetwood won late in 2019 on the European Tour at the Nedbank Golf Challenge. He followed it up on that tour with a solo second at the DP World Tour Championship, T-2 in Abu Dhabi and a T-11 in Dubai.

Fleetwood’s 2020 PGA Tour debut was last week at the WGC-Mexico where he was under par all four days en route to T-18 (70-69-70-69). His stats were solid, if not unspectacular, across the board: 58.93% fairways, 65.28% GIR, and .197 SG putting. His short game sputtered, but he was 15th in SG around the green (.329) last season

The 29-year-old was also 13th in SG tee to green (1.11) and is one of the game’s more pure ball strikers.

Fleetwood hasn’t missed a stroke-play cut on either Tour since June 2018 at the European Tour’s Open de France.

He finished solo fourth at the 2018 Honda Classic (70-68-67-69) and was just two back of champion Justin Thomas. Fleetwood was the only player in the field to shoot 70 or lower all four rounds. There’s that consistency again.

He was a machine with the driver (75% fairways). A few key putts missed down the stretch doomed his chances at his first PGA Tour victory, something that still eludes him.

Four European Tour wins, a 5-0 Ryder Cup record and solid play in the majors and World Golf Championships are plenty to prove Fleetwood’s legit. But you know he wants the vindication of a win on American soil.

One of his best chances in the near future comes this week at PGA National.