Scottie Scheffler is having a dream run on the PGA Tour, and many professionals would like to take his place or match his achievements. But Tommy Fleetwood isn’t interested in measuring his career against Scheffler’s highlight reel. Fresh off a breakthrough season that finally shook the “nearly man” label, the Englishman has shifted the conversation toward what comes next.

“If I won two majors and one was the Open at Birkdale,” Fleetwood told Golf.com. “Maybe I would just ride off into the sunset,” Tommy Fleetwood said.

Scottie Scheffler achieved nine wins in 2024. This included 7 PGA Tour events, including the Masters, an Olympic win, and a co-sanctioned event, the Hero World Challenge. On the other hand, there’s Xander Schauffele, who won only two events in 2024. However, both of them were majors, the PGA Championship and the Open Championship.

Scheffler clearly had more wins. Yet, when Tommy Fleetwood was asked whether he would take the 19x PGA Tour winner’s season or that of Schauffele, he went with the latter.

Royal Birkdale, just a few miles from Tommy Fleetwood’s Southport childhood home, represents the pinnacle of his golfing dreams. While the golf course is hosting the Open Championship 2026, it was also the site where Fleetwood first played in a major at the age of 7. Thus, this year’s Open Championship holds more importance for the Englishman, who calls winning there his “biggest dream in the game.”

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The World No. 3 has clear goals for the 2026 season. He is looking to snatch the World No. 1 position from Scottie Scheffler. The 2025 DP World India Championship winner aims to close the gap on the 19x PGA Tour winner and Rory McIlroy through consistent improvement and more victories.

He is open to any victories, but his focus is on ending his major drought. While he had a breakthrough 2025 season, his performances at major events were still not that good. His best finish was a T16 at the Open Championship, while he missed the cut at the US Open. Over the years, he has posted top-5 finishes at all four majors, but a victory has remained elusive.

Notably, in 2026, Tommy Fleetwood has high chances of winning his maiden major title. He could build on the 2025 momentum and secure victory. And with Royal Birkdale hosting the Open Championship in 2026, his childhood connection will give him an extra push.

Although Fleetwood has the potential to build on his 2025 season, his start wasn’t that smooth.

Tommy Fleetwood shot his career-worst round at the Dubai Invitational

The former defending champion of the Dubai Invitational hit his career-worst single-round score during the second round of the event. He had hit a 7-over 78 on Friday, January 16, 2026. The collapse stemmed from accumulated marginal errors. Tommy Fleetwood admitted that his performance was an accumulation of multiple mistakes on the same day.

The Englishman hit five bogeys and a double bogey, accumulating to 7 over par. The double bogey came on hole 8, when he hit his tee shot into the water. Fleetwood rebounded on Saturday with a 66, including seven birdies. He swung 12 shots to reach even par overall, focusing on mini-goals like getting under par for the weekend rather than chasing leader Nacho Elvira.

As the 2026 season unfolds, Fleetwood’s focus remains fixed on chasing major titles rather than measuring himself against Scheffler’s trophy haul. With Royal Birkdale in sight, the next chapter of his career carries the chance to turn long-held ambition into a defining moment.