Michael Phelps reacts as Tommy Fleetwood claims first PGA Tour title with emotional win

Michael Phelps heaped praises on Tommy Fleetwood, as the latter took home his first PGA Tour victory at the Tour Championship on Sunday. Phelps has been a dedicated golf enthusiast since his competitive days and continues to make strides on the course.

Michael Phelps has forged one of the most successful swimming careers of all time. He amassed 82 medals across major international long-course competitions and broke 39 world records during his competitive years. His unprecedented success has made him a lasting figure in the sporting world, even after his retirement in 2016.

In 2012, the year he won four gold medals at the London Olympics, Phelps took up golf as a hobby to relieve himself from stress and even announced that he would retire from swimming. However, in the next few years, he balanced golf and his signature sport, while also featuring on Golf Channel’s “The Haney Project” and being coached by Hank Haney, Tiger Woods' coach.

Recently, he extended his heartfelt wishes to professional golfer Tommy Fleetwood, who claimed his first PGA Tour victory at the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club on August 24, 2025. Phelps shared Fleetwood's original post on his Instagram story and wrote:

"Let's gooooooo!! Congrats @officialtommyfleetwood"

Phelps congratulated Tommy Fleetwood on PGA Tour victory; Instagram - @m_phelps00

Fleetwood has made waves on the PGA and European Tour, bagging seven wins in the latter tour. He also won the silver for Great Britain at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Michael Phelps once shared that he carried forward his confidence from the swimming pool to the golf course

Phelps at the We The Best Foundation x Jordan Golf Classic Celebrity Golf Tournament - (Source: Getty)

Michael Phelps gave his rivals a tough time with his powerful strides in the pool, never willing to settle for anything but first place on the podium. Under the tutelage of the legendary coach, Bob Bowman, the Baltimore native recorded a career hard to match. In a 2024 interview with Golf.com, the 40-year-old revealed that his confidence has benefited him on the golf course as well.

"I think confidence. I think that goes a long way. I was always confident in the swimming pool, which meant I got the results that I wanted, most of the time. Preparation is something that’s always important. So if I have the confidence factor and I believe I can do something, then I feel like that’s kinda really all it is."

He added:

"I know how to hit good shots. So it’s just finding a way to get out of your own way. That was something that I did in the pool — just let it happen."

Michael Phelps played at TNT Sports' 'The Match: Superstars' and was defeated by Wayne Gretzky in the finals in November last year.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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Edited by Agnijeeta Majumder