DP World Tour Championship: Tommy Fleetwood boosted by home comforts in Dubai

Fleetwood's win in South Africa last week was his sixth on the DP World Tour

Fresh from posting his first victory for three years Tommy Fleetwood will prepare for European golf's season finale by doing the school run.

The DP World Tour Championship is just a buggy ride away from the Englishman's new home in Dubai and Fleetwood can make the shortest of journeys to and from the course knowing he is completing a golf season of genuine progress.

His thrilling win in last week's Nedbank Challenge in South Africa has lifted the 31-year-old from Southport to 23 in the world, his highest ranking since March 2021. It was his first triumph since winning the same South African tournament back in 2019.

"I don't win anywhere near as much as I would like to but I think winning is such a lovely feeling," Fleetwood told BBC Sport. "It's what everybody out here is constantly working for.

"That's the ultimate goal at the end of the week. So it's been a long wait."

Following his success at Sun City he somewhat philosophically tweeted "the moment of victory is so beautiful but far too short to live for".

Asked to expand on that, Fleetwood said: "You don't win very often at all, even the greatest players of all time don't win every time they tee it up.

"But if you can go out there and you can enjoy it and you can feel like you're doing everything you can to succeed, that's that's all you can do really but you can fall out of that very easily.

"I've had plenty of times where I've not enjoyed it. I've had great results and not enjoyed the week.

"And I would much rather have a great time and feel like I've got something out the week, feel like I've enjoyed chasing my dreams and and that's what I think everybody should do."

And Fleetwood is clearly enjoying his change of location, having decamped with his wife, son and two stepsons to the United Arab Emirates from the north west of England earlier this year. Now this week's tournament feels like a home event.

"It's been great really," Fleetwood said. "It's always a bit daunting whenever you make a move somewhere but we were wanting to give it a go and so far we're very, very happy."

It will be unfamiliar to play this $10m (£8.4m) event and be able to sleep in his own bed but Fleetwood is relishing the change.

"It's a little bit different. I can drive drive the buggy into the golf course for the week," he said.

"It'll be nice just playing and being able to pop back home. My dad's here this week, which I'm really excited about and it is great to see him.

"It's a bit odd playing a tournament when you're doing the school run in the morning but it's a nice bit of normality."

And for Fleetwood just as refreshing is the fact that playing good golf and contending have become the norm once again. This year he posted his best ever results in the Masters (14th) and US PGA Championship (fifth) as well as finishing in a share of fourth place at the Open.

"I was obviously doing a lot of good things and then to come back and eventually find that form again was great," he added.

"The CJ Cup (fourth behind Rory McIlroy in South Carolina) was a great week for me.

"I played fantastic there and then a win (last week), so I've definitely made progress and my world ranking has started to rise again.

"The consistency of my game is much, much better. Golf is a lot more stress free when you feel like you're not going to lose the ball and if you feel like you've given yourself a chance each and every week of having a good week."

Fleetwood finished a shot behind Jon Rahm in the 2019 Tour Championship here. Back then he was in the world's top 10 and current evidence suggests he might be on track to return to that elite level.

Another big performance this week would certainly help in that regard. And it would be fuelled by benefits of home comforts.