Tune in weekly for unfiltered opinions as our writers and editors analyze the sport’s hottest topics. Also, join the conversation by tweeting @golf_com. This week, we discuss another Tommy Fleetwood victory, a unique tournament venue, the LPGA’s newest champion, and more.
Tommy Fleetwood won the DP World India Championship, his second win in his last four starts (not to mention his Ryder Cup dominance). Now he’s no longer worried about securing his first PGA Tour win (and defending his world No. 1 title), but who’s more poised for a dominant 2026 than Fleetwood?
Josh Berhow, Editor-in-Chief (@Josh_Berhow): The stars certainly seem to be aligning for Fleetwood’s breakout. There were some close calls before he finally won the Tour Championship, so it’s not like the last few months were a fluke. This player can compete with the best players on the ball, which is always a good way to stay ahead of the competition. But it’s also important to remember that in the past there have been guys who got hot and tried to tear the golf world apart, only to disappear. (Viktor Hovland won back-to-back playoff events in August 2023, then went 19 months without a win.) I don’t expect 2026 to be a Scottie-like year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Fleetwood wins two or even three next year.
Alan Bastable, Executive Editor (@alan_bastable): Surprisingly, wins often lead to more wins. Fleetwood is a prime example of this, not necessarily because his game is better than it was a year ago, but because he’s leading the tour with SG:Confidence. Let’s see if that magic lasts with him through the offseason. As he himself said on Sunday, “I know things won’t last forever, but I’m trying to be the most consistent player I can be.” But yes, to answer the question, he’s in an incredibly good position heading into 2026. Another player I’m looking forward to seeing next year is Cameron Young. I’ll be interested to see if his impressive Ryder Cup gives him lasting confidence.
Jessica Marksbury, Senior Editor (@jess_marksbury): When players heat up in the fall and winter, it’s always interesting to see if they can maintain that momentum into the next summer’s major season. However, as Josh said, Tommy doesn’t just appear out of nowhere. He was a favorite pick in the majors even before he made his breakthrough on the PGA Tour. However, Tommy seems to have gotten particularly strong in the Ryder Cup years. So let’s look again in 2027. As for next year, we’re looking forward to keeping an eye on another solid European player. Alex Nolen won two DP World Tour titles this year and is expected to earn a PGA Tour card for next season.
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At the narrow Derry Golf Club, where 42 percent of the field reportedly played without a driver, Fleetwood defeated several stars to win. Should the PGA Tour visit more courses that require players to be more strategic with their tee shots, and how often?
Berhow: Derry Golf Club is a pretty extreme example. You don’t want Raleigh not to hit the driver. — but it should definitely happen more. Because playing sound, playing strategic golf, and hitting the clubs needed on the course is just as much a skill as blasting a driver around the lot. More players will also have a chance. I remember years ago Kevin Kisner rattling off a list of courses he felt were unwinnable simply because of the required distance from the tee. However, how realistic that is is another question. Choosing a tour venue involves many arrangements, including sponsors and television production, but the type of golf course may not necessarily be the primary focus.
bathtable: Power should be a competitive advantage in golf, so yeah, it would be unfair to suddenly include a ton of tighter, tree-covered sites into the Tour schedule. Still, this week in New Delhi was a fun reminder that there’s more than one way to test elite athletes who can hit a driver 330 yards, and some seemed to be up for it. Ben Griffin said earlier in the week. “I prefer courses like this because I can hit different clubs more often, whereas in America I’m used to hitting drivers and wedges.”
marksbury: Playing a round of golf without a driver is something I can never relate to! Years ago, a USGA official told me that the purpose of the U.S. Open course setting is not necessarily to provide the most tortuous test, but to allow players to master every club in their bag for the duration of the tournament. I like the idea and am definitely in favor of promoting more courses (or setups) if it’s possible. It would be nice to have it 6 or 7 times a year.
Rory McIlroy was one of the players who took his driver out of the bag and tied for 26th place in India. Is McIlroy at the biggest disadvantage when course settings limit drivers?
Berhow: Scottie Scheffler leads the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, but many would argue that seeing McIlroy with a driver in hand is one of golf’s greatest shows, and that it may be the single club that gives one player an advantage over any other (Scottie with irons a close second?). That said, while Lowry didn’t win a career Grand Slam simply by hitting the driver, he is probably the most prolific driver.
bathtable:I think it’s probably less that the setup didn’t suit McIlroy’s skill set and more that Target’s style of golf really suited other players, especially Tommy Fleetwood, who said the course was “set up perfectly for me.” Interestingly, if you look at McIlolary’s 10 bogeys this week, most of them weren’t due to loose tee shots, but because they missed the green or missed the pin to the wrong side.
marksbury: I agree with both of my colleagues. For a player who is so capable off the tee, eliminating the driver is a shame. But at the end of the day, you’re hitting a lot more approaches and putts than you hit off the tee. So whatever advantage McIlroy was losing was still somewhat minimal in my mind.
Kim Sei-young won the BMW Ladies Championship, becoming the 27th winner on the LPGA Tour this season, but only one other player has won twice in a year (Gino Titikul won the second LPGA Shanghai one week ago). With five tournaments left, how do you analyze the current Player of the Year race?
Berhow: Jeeno Thitikul is the clear favorite as the only player with multiple wins, and her season has been great beyond those weeks. She missed just one cut all year and has 12 top-10 finishes. The CME Group Tour Championship could decide everything, as it will be decided by points. There was no drama last year for Nelly Korda to get away with.
marksbury: That’s right, Josh. The number of first-time winners is 27, which is incredible. This speaks to how deep this talent is on the LPGA Tour. As you mentioned, Gino may only have two wins, but she competes almost every time she tees it up, has four runner-up finishes, and would be deserving of the crown even without a big title this year.
bathtable: To put Gino’s consistency into perspective, she has a 120 point lead over second place Nelly Korda on Rolex’s list, but only 20 points lead between Korda and third place Minjee Lee. In other words, Mr. Titikul is far ahead of his peers. The only blemish on her 2025 resume came at the U.S. Women’s Open, where she missed the only spot this year.
Viktor Hovland, who will be absent from Sunday’s singles and playing for the first time since invoking the now controversial “envelope rule” at the Ryder Cup, called the situation “upsetting” but added that he did not think the rule could be easily fixed. It’s ok. But which Ryder Cup rules would you change?
Berhow: Easy — just like in the Presidents Cup, you choose the matchup, and the captains take turns choosing. That way, as long as the captain is playing ball, you can inject a little more drama into the event. (And dramas that don’t include dumb fans.)
bathtable: If there is a tie at the end of singles, there will be a playoff based on the total score of the three holes, with one player from each team selected by each team’s captain. However, unlike envelope rules, playoff representatives are selected in advance. The captain will nominate a player at that moment, so if he wishes he can nominate the hottest player, not necessarily the best one.
marksbury: The Ryder Cup is almost perfect, but I don’t like the “hold” rule in case of a tie. We need results! This envelope must be used to name one player from each team competing in the sudden-death playoffs.
