Tommy Fleetwood's wife absent for PGA Tour win after 23-year age gap left her 'paranoid'

Tommy Fleetwood's breakthrough at the Tour Championship saw him clinch his first-ever PGA Tour title, a feat that even caught the attention of basketball superstar LeBron James. However, his wife Clare was notably absent during this triumphant moment, with his stepson instead offering support at East Lake's 18th hole.

The absence of Clare Fleetwood during her husband's victorious moment, where he let his emotions flow after sinking his final putt, starkly contrasts with their close-knit relationship off the golf course, particularly given their unconventional love story.

During an open discussion on the podcast, she reflected on the early stages of their relationship and the unexpected emotional strain caused by public scrutiny over their 23-year age difference, with Clare being 57 and Tommy 34.

Clare confessed: "It kind of is and isn't. I mean it was way more at the beginning. It was kind of not actually for us but it was just again thinking what other people are thinking about all the time and within the industry.

"It was kind of big news in our circle so I was a little bit paranoid about all that really. But not for any reason of our relationship and I had full faith once we fell in love."

The fact that Clare was not present at the championship moment is even more surprising as she has consistently been there during past career challenges.

At the 2025 Travelers Championship, Fleetwood experienced another heart-wrenching near miss, scoring a bogey on the final hole which saw him fall out of contention. In an emotional scene afterwards, his wife Clare and their son Franklin were seen comforting him.

Clare initially served as Tommy's agent, and her initial reservations quickly transformed into mutual trust and affection. They tied the knot in December 2017 in the Bahamas, and since then, she has been an integral part of both his strategy and his stability.

On the tour, Fleetwood's calm demeanour has made him a favourite, and his persistence finally bore fruit on Saturday.

After 164 PGA Tour starts, he finally secured that elusive first victory at the Tour Championship, clinching the FedEx Cup and a whopping £7.4million prize with a remarkable performance at East Lake.

Starting the final round at 16 under, he delivered a steady 68 to finish at 262 (-18) - a three-shot victory over Patrick Cantlay and Russell Henley.

His win brought a long-awaited reward after years of top-five and near-miss finishes, even if he couldn't celebrate it with Clare by his side.