Tommy Fleetwood heads into this week's DP World Tour Championship, Dubai in the familiar position of challenging on two fronts.
Since topping the Race to Dubai Rankings Presented by Rolex in 2017, Fleetwood has finished third in 2018 and second in 2019.
The 29-year-old Englishman starts the week second behind Patrick Reed at Jumeirah Golf Estates, but knows that an improvement on last year's runner-up finish over the Earth Course would see him dislodge the American in the season-long standings.
“For all the guys that made it here, I think it's a great end to the year,” Fleetwood said.
“Individually, it's a massive event and then of course you've got the added part of the Race to Dubai on there, as well, which is massive.
“For me, it's another year where I've got both to look at and I've got the enjoyment of playing for both, which is exciting. I kind of like that I'm getting used to that over the last few years and hopefully I can keep that going.
“It's the perfect way to end off the year, and having a chance, and one year getting over the line. Last year, I just don't think I could have really done much more, and left feeling pretty proud of how I played. It was my best result around this golf course.
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“It's like the end of what's been a difficult year for everyone, really, but we've been very lucky having a lot of events and having a chance to play, and there's a lot of things to be pleased about in the golf world this year, as well.”
World Number 16 Fleetwood is still seeking a first win of the year and rated his season as “below five” out of ten, but knows that score could improve significantly with a strong showing this week.
“Last year I had a strong finish to the year, and it made the year very, very different,” he added.
“I think the great thing about golf is there's always the next week and there's always the week that you're playing, and my game feels good.
“This week is the last week of the year, and it does feel like that, but I also feel very fresh and like I'm ready to keep going, really.
“I think whoever wins The Race to Dubai firstly will be a worthy winner. You know, you name those – Collin [Morikawa] and Patrick [Reed]; Patrick has won a World Golf Championships this year, he's been one of the most consistent players on the planet. Collin, major winner, clearly superstars, and I don't think it will do any harm whatsoever to have their names on the trophy. Obviously planning on that not to happen, anyway.
“It is one of the biggest prizes in golf. Yeah, looking forward to going against them and whoever the winner is, it will be a name worthy of going on that trophy.”
