Tommy Fleetwood's 3 Keys: Hit Better Drives, Chip Closer, & Sink More Putts

I feel like a broken record, but I got more Tommy Tips for you today. Since August, Tommy Fleetwood has been putting on clinic after clinic. If it weren't for Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy absolutely dominating the 2025 season, Fleetwood would be the story everyone's talking about. The guy just keeps delivering.

Case in point: his performance so far at the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship shows exactly what separates good golf from great golf. The two-time former champion and reigning FedEx Cup winner sits atop the leaderboard at 14-under par. His statistics tell the story. Let's break down what he's doing right and how you can use these same principles to shoot lower scores, no matter what you shoot now.

The Tip: Prioritize your short game practice over everything else when time is limited.

Why It Matters: Fleetwood ranks 2nd in scrambling for the season at 70.7%. The tour average? Just 55.8%. In Round 1, he scrambled at a perfect 100%. Round 2 was 75%. When he missed greens, which happens to everyone, he saved par. Simple as that.

How It Helps Your Game: Think about your typical round. You probably miss 8-12 greens — maybe more. If you can get up and down just half the time instead of one-quarter of the time, you'll save 2-3 strokes immediately. That's the difference between breaking 90, 80, or 70.

How to Practice: Spend 20 minutes before each round on scrambling situations. Drop three balls in different lies around the practice green. One in light rough. One in deeper grass. One on a tight lie. Your goal isn't to hole every chip. Get every ball within a three-foot circle. Track your success rate and watch it improve weekly.

The Tip: When the pressure's on, favor accuracy over distance off the tee.

Why It Matters: In Round 1, Fleetwood hit an astounding 92.9% of fairways (ranked 2nd) while averaging 293 yards. That's 15 yards shorter than the tournament average. He understood that Yas Links rewards position over power. Round 2 tells the other side of the story. He increased his distance to 308.5 yards, but his accuracy dipped to 64.3%. His score climbed from 64 to 66.

How It Helps Your Game: Fairway bunkers, penalty areas, and thick rough don't care what your handicap is. A 15-handicapper hitting 8 fairways instead of 5 will have significantly easier approach shots. More greens in regulation. Fewer big numbers. It's that straightforward.

How to Practice: On the range, alternate between your driver and 3-wood or hybrid. Pick a specific target rather than swinging for maximum distance. If your driver misses the target line by more than 20 yards, ask yourself whether the extra distance is worth the risk on certain holes. Many tour pros, including Fleetwood, make strategic club selections based on hole layout. They don't always reach for the driver.

The Tip: Focus on lag putting and eliminating three-putts rather than holing everything.

Why It Matters: Fleetwood averaged 1.7 putts per green in regulation in Round 1 and 1.6 in Round 2. Both better than his season average of 1.8. He's not making everything. But he's consistently two-putting, which is the hallmark of professional golf.

How It Helps Your Game: Three-putts kill scores. Period. If you typically three-putt four times per round and can reduce that to once or twice, you've saved 2-3 strokes. You haven't holed a single additional putt.

How to Practice: Spend 10 minutes on long putts (30+ feet) before each round. Place four balls around the green at different distances and slopes. Your only goal is to get each ball within a three-foot circle of the hole. This builds distance control. It also eliminates the aggressive mindset that leads to three-putts.

Tommy Fleetwood's play in Abu Dhabi isn't about overpowering the course or holing miracle putts. It's about consistent execution in every facet of the game, with particular emphasis on scrambling and accuracy. As he said after Round 2, "I just did a really good job. I hit a lot of good shots but a few times today I drove it into the rough and we read the lies really well."

That's the key. When things aren't perfect, having the skills to recover keeps rounds together. Focus on these fundamentals, and you'll find yourself posting your best scores of the season.