Last week, Rory McIlroy skipped the FedEx St. Jude Championship, leaving many to question how the PGA Tour claims the FedEx Cup is a big deal when one of its biggest stars doesn’t think so. That’s what kept people murmuring about. Most even believed the Tour wouldn’t survive the heat of McIlroy’s latest controversy. It did, however.

And it’s partly thanks to Tommy Fleetwood, the so-far winless PGA Tour pro. Based on recent reports, the FedEx St. Jude Championship drew big viewership numbers. The Sports Business Journal‘s Josh Carpenter said Justin Rose’s playoff win grabbed an average of 3.6 million viewers for the final round, not including folks watching on streams.

That beats Hideki Matsuyama’s win last year (2.1 million viewers), and it’s also an increase from 3.2 million in 2023 (Lucas Glover in a playoff over Patrick Cantlay) and 3 million in 2022 (Will Zalatoris beat Sepp Straka in a playoff). Fleetwood definitely played a big part in bumping up viewership.

He was in contention, playing against not only Rose but also Scottie Scheffler at some point. So, despite a lack of a win at Memphis, he is, arguably, ‘the player’ golf fans really want to see win. And yes, that helped bring in the followers. But he wasn’t the only one helping those numbers. Another fan favorite, and a sponsor favorite, Rickie Fowler, also kept things exciting with a strong showing heading into Sunday’s final round, eventually finishing T6.

Keen observers would know that Fleetwood’s ability to energize the Tour isn’t new. Just look at the 2025 Travelers Championship, where he went head-to-head with Keegan Bradley in a tense Sunday battle. He fell just short again, but that showdown drew an average of 3.519 million viewers on CBS—a 35 percent jump from the previous year when Scottie Scheffler took the title.

And get this: thanks to Fleetwood’s challenge, those numbers beat out Bradley’s win at the same tournament in 2023 (2.44 million viewers). The point? Tommy Fleetwood is a bankable star, and he is good for the Tour. And his fortunes are looking up. Even in the Ryder Cup.

Tommy Fleetwood didn’t win in Memphis, but he earned the Ryder Cup spot

England’s golfing duo, Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood, locked in their spots on Team Europe for the upcoming Ryder Cup showdown against the United States. They nailed this with their Sunday showings at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Rose took home the $20 million payday after a playoff win, while Fleetwood came agonizingly close, ending one shot back.

Now they’re teammates with Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, all automatic picks for the Sept. 26-28 battle at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y. He currently stands third in the Ryder Cup standings. Luke Donald, Team Europe’s captain, has to pick the top six players from the Europe Team Rankings after the Betfred British Masters wraps up on Aug. 24.

Then he’ll choose six more golfers to finalize his squad, aiming to defend the Cup won in 2023 in Italy. “Amazing to have both of these guys back on the Team,” Donald wrote on X. “They bring so much both on and off the course. Let’s Go!”

For Fleetwood, the Ryder Cup in New York is going to be a big deal: it’ll be his fourth straight appearance with Team Europe after crushing it in 2018, 2021, and 2023. Currently ranked World Number 13, Fleetwood had a killer debut at Le Golf National, racking up four out of five points. And he sealed the win for Europe in Rome back in 2023. Now he’s gunning for that first away win in New York this September. Well, at least in September, he will be working in Rory McIlroy’s team, instead of against him!