Tommy Fleetwood: English golfer says ‘I need to be like Rory McIlroy’ ahead of Hero Dubai Desert Classic | Golf News

Tommy Fleetwood is looking to make sure he puts himself in more positions to win, starting with the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, which is live on Sky Sports from Thursday.

Fleetwood had an exceptional 2024, finishing in the top 10 in the World Rankings and picking up the Dubai Championship, but is often touted as a player who is often just shy of big victories.

Indeed, the Englishman is aware that a greater consistency is needed from him over the span of the year to put himself in the mix on the final day, a trait of Rory McIlroy’s that he believes makes him such a “great” winner.

“Yeah, it’s tough to win. You can look at any number of things that would produce more wins but I think, you know, ultimately, trying to stay as consistent as possible, put myself in those positions as much as possible,” Fleetwood said.

“I think one of the greatest winners of my generation, well, if not the greatest, is Rory (McIlroy).

“Rory puts himself in those situations all the time and wins plenty as a result of it. I love looking at the best players and the consistency levels that they have and I know that you look at somebody like Scottie Scheffler and the season he had, which is ridiculously phenomenal, of course it is.

“But just looking at the guys that put themselves in contention all the time, and then deal with those situations and then pick events off as they go, I think that’s the kind of player that I want to be.

McIlroy has already won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic more times than any other player, with last year’s victory his fourth title. This week he has a chance to extend his own record and become the first player to lift the Dallah Trophy.

The Northern Irishman has not finished outside of the top 10 at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in nine appearances since his 2009 victory which saw him pick up his maiden DP World Tour title. It is also where he became the tournament’s youngest champion, finishing sixth a year later, 10th in 2011, fifth in 2012 and ninth in 2014 before a three-shot win in 2015.

Now, Fleetwood is looking to channel McIlroy’s winning mentality to try and pick up the trophy himself and start 2025 with a win in the first of the DP World Tour’s Rolex Series events.

“I want to continue to improve my all-around game and put myself in a position to win as many times as possible and then win as a result of that,” he continued.

“I think, of course, like I say, you can look at any time you’re in contention, you look at, Oh, I could have done this better, or I could have done that better, or I hit a poor shot there or that could have gone different. But just continue to be consistent, put myself there, and hopefully my time will continue to come more often as the time goes on.”

While Fleetwood calls Dubai home and has never missed the event in his professional career, he only boasts two top 10s at the Emirates Golf Club.

In 2025, after 14 years of trying, he wants that to very much change with victory.

“Yeah, I love the look of the trophy for this tournament, and I’ve never actually, I’ve played it every year since my first year on tour. Always love coming back here. I absolutely love the golf course,” Fleetwood added.

“I just haven’t managed to put myself in a position to contend for this tournament yet but I will continue to try. And I think everybody loves this time of year here.

“I think everybody starts out feeling fresh, with a really positive attitude. I think the course, like I say, is great, and I think Dubai as a city, everybody just loves coming back and they just feel very familiar with the place because it’s played such a role over the years in tour life.

“So yeah, I look at everybody with pictures holding the trophy and always want to be in one, but I just haven’t gotten close enough yet.”

How can I watch the action?

Sky Sports will have extended coverage from all four rounds of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, with Featured Groups live from 4am each morning on Sky Sports Golf and bringing bonus action ahead of the main action.

Full coverage starts at 7.30am on Thursday and Friday ahead of getting under way from 7am over the weekend, with all four rounds of the PGA Tour’s American Express and the Latin America Amateur Championship also live on Sky Sports. Stream the DP World Tour, majors and more with NOW.