“If it wasn’t for the doctor here there was no chance” – An emotional Tommy Fleetwood reflects on his Nedbank Golf Challenge 2022 win despite illness 

Tommy Fleetwood eagled the 14th hole in the final round to win the 2022 Nedbank Golf Challenge on Sunday. The golfer edged past Ryan Fox to defend his title at the DP World Tour event at Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa.

Interestingly, Fleetwood repeated history as he came from behind to win, much like he did in 2019. He played a round of 67, climbing up from a tie for seventh place overnight to clinch victory. With the feat, the golfer ended his three-year winless drought and became the first player since Lee Westwood in 2011 to win back-to-back Nedbank titles.

It was even more special as the Englishman fought illness to take the win in the final round. Following the win, the golfer became emotional while stating that he had “no chance” of playing the event if it wasn’t for the doctor and his team. Tears rolled down his face as Fleetwood reflected on his big win.

Speaking to media from Sun City after the Nedbank title win, Tommy Fleetwood said, as quoted by Eurosport:

"It has been a great week… I have so many memories of this place, this has added to that. It was a lovely feeling.”

Addressing his illness, he said:

“If it wasn’t for the doctor here there was no chance I was teeing it up on Thursday… I gave him a hug and thanked him and gave his son the winning ball… I have to thank him so much as there was not a chance on Wednesday night that I was teeing it up on Thursday.”

For the unversed, Tommy Fleetwood arriving on the first tee on Thursday was seen as an achievement after he was diagnosed with illness and heat stroke earlier in the week. However, he played through his health condition. On Saturday, he revealed that he was finally feeling close to being healthy again.

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Tommy Fleetwood makes a wonder eagle on the 14

The main fight was between Tommy Fleetwood and Ryan Fox over the closing holes. However, the Englishman came out on top as the Kiwi settled for a hard-fought second place.

Fleetwood, who has been playing well over the past few months, carried on his form. The golfer looked extremely comfortable playing sawn-off shots, including an incredible eagle on the 14th. Things turned his way as he replicated a shot from his final round in 2019, taking the ball perfectly out of the sand before it bounced and dropped into the hole for an eagle.

Fleetwood was proud of the shot. Speaking after his title win, the golfer said that he himself wasn’t sure of the shot.

He said:

“It was a bit of a clay-y lie, but I felt OK. I am not sure how far past it would have gone if it had missed on the second bounce, but it came out lovely and went in and it’s that spark that happens every now and again when you walk through the door and you win. Sometimes it happens, other times it doesn’t.”

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Tommy Fleetwood dedicates the win to his son

The win was a bittersweet moment for Tommy Fleetwood, who was forced to celebrate without his family on the course. The golfer got emotional while stating that he wanted to win the title for his son.

He added:

“One of my biggest goals for a while is to win with my whole family here… Frankie [his son] is saying all the time I never win anything, he brings medals home from school for me saying this is for you because you never win any… So, I wanted to win with them here for such a long time. They come and disappear, as they are now at the airport as the kids have exams tomorrow.”

A highly emotional Fleetwood went on to reveal that he loved the weekend and would cherish the memories from the win in the coming years.