Southport’s Tommy Fleetwood started his final round at TPC Sawgrass tied for 4th place but ended up tied 27th for the tournament.
A final round 76 saw Fleetwood finish five under par, with American Scottie Scheffler taking a commanding five-shot victory finishing 17 under par.
The Merseysider was just five shots behind Scottie Scheffler at 14 under at the start of round four.
But it wasn’t meant to be for Fleetwood, who bogeyed three holes on the front nine after some disappointing shots with the putter.
As he did during his second round, Fleetwood showed resilience and mental strength when he birdied the first three holes on the back nine and was in a good position for a top 10 finish.
But two double-bogeys on 14 and 17 saw Fleetwood drop down the leaderboard to tie 27th and finished five under par.
A win would have been Fleetwood’s first-ever victory on the PGA Tour since he joined the tour back in 2018 and the first-ever Englishmen to win The Players Championship.
Fleetwood told Sky Sports afterwards: “That would be a lovely thing to achieve.
“It’s amazing really from the golfers that we have had over the years that an Englishman hasn’t managed to win it yet, but hopefully our time will come sooner rather than later.”
Fleetwood produced the best round of golf he has played this year with a seven under par 65 in the third round at TPC Sawgrass on Saturday (March 11).
Fleetwood scored eight birdies and only dropped one shot at the par three 8th, gaining 16 places on the leaderboard.
Smooth move from @TommyFleetwood1 😮💨
Three straight birdies has him T5 @THEPLAYERSChamp. pic.twitter.com/AH26Ae5TfG
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 11, 2023
Fleetwood told Sky Sports: “I’ve always enjoyed playing here I like the golf course as it is.
“I’ve had my fair share of bad rounds around here as well but I’ve played well around here today.
“I feel it’s not really a course that you ever feel you know too comfortable on so can always catch you out at any given time.”
Fleetwood is due to enter Valspar Championship next Thursday at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Florida.
(Featured image courtesy of tommyfleetwood.com)
