Tommy Fleetwood says stepson’s spinal surgery kept family from watching $10 million Tour Championship win
Fleetwood says his stepson spent weeks in hospital and his wife stayed to help recovery as he heads into the BMW PGA Championship and Ryder Cup duty
Tommy Fleetwood said Wednesday that his wife and one of his stepsons were unable to travel to Atlanta to watch his first PGA Tour victory at the Tour Championship because the child was recovering from major spinal surgery.
Fleetwood, speaking to reporters ahead of this week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, said his stepson Mo Murray underwent a spinal operation just over a month before the FedEx Cup finale and spent three and a half weeks in the hospital. "Our middle boy, Mo [Murray], had a spinal operation just over a month ago now. So they were unable to travel," Fleetwood said. "Actually, the week of Memphis, they were in the hospital and he was recovering, and then eventually got home just before we got home. He had three and a half weeks in the hospital, so that’s why they weren’t there, but Oscar came out to be with me."
Fleetwood, 34 and ranked No. 6 in the world, closed out the Tour Championship in late August to claim the FedEx Cup and the $10 million winner’s share, defeating Americans Patrick Cantlay and Russell Henley by three strokes. The victory was his first since joining the PGA Tour in 2018 and drew emotional scenes at East Lake Golf Club, where stepson Oscar accompanied him and Fleetwood lifted the FedEx Cup trophy.
Fleetwood said he had not publicly detailed the family circumstances until being asked by reporters this week. It was reported at the time that his wife, Clare, 57, watched from home; Clare, whom Fleetwood married eight years ago, is the mother of Oscar and Murray from a previous marriage and also shares a son, Franklin, with Fleetwood.
The BMW PGA Championship tees off Thursday and runs through Sunday at Wentworth Club in England, where Fleetwood is among the headline contenders. He said Murray will be in attendance this week. Fleetwood also arrives in form for next month’s Ryder Cup as one of the six automatic qualifiers for Team Europe. The event follows a season in which Fleetwood established himself among the game’s consistent performers.
Fleetwood’s revelation casts the Tour Championship triumph in a personal light, underscoring the balance players often strike between family responsibilities and elite competition. He said his family was “very much top of mind” during the victory weekend in Atlanta and that their absence at the course was driven by medical necessity rather than choice.
Fleetwood is scheduled to compete at Wentworth this week as he prepares for the Ryder Cup later this month, carrying the momentum of his FedEx Cup victory while his family continues Murray’s recovery.
