Rory McIlroy says Tommy Fleetwood was 'too nice' to win before - "You need to have that little bit of edge"

Rory McIlroy opened up about the impressive season Tommy Fleetwood had in 2025. The English golfer has been playing phenomenal golf in the last few months.

He started playing professionally in 2010 and finally clinched his maiden PGA Tour title this year, winning the Tour Championship. He also won his eighth European Tour event at the DP World India Championship last month.

This week, Tommy Fleetwood is playing at the DP World Tour Championship in a stellar field featuring Rory McIlroy and other top-ranked players. In an exclusive interview with The Scotsman, the five-time major winner opened up about Fleetwood’s phenomenal season and his maiden PGA Tour win at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

"I think seeing his reaction to winning it Atlanta,” McIlroy said. “I would never say I questioned how much he wanted. But, like, he’s always been so nice….so nice! Then I’m like ‘is he too nice?’ Because you need to have that little bit of edge, p--ck in you, whatever you want to call it. I know I have it and I feel like that’s what you need to win.

“I think it is harder for Tommy to feel that than others because of how nice and empathetic he is. But I feel like he has developed that little bit of edge this year," he added.

Before winning the Tour Championship, Tommy Fleetwood was close to winning the Travelers Championship but settled in a tie for second. He was tied for third at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and T4 at the BMW Championship, the two tournaments he played just weeks before the Tour Championship, but narrowly missed the titles.

On the DP World Tour, he also had a phenomenal year. He was tied for 21st at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and the Alfred Dulhil Links Championship, and settled in second at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

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Tommy Fleetwood sits in top 10 after two rounds at DP World Tour Championship, eyes another title

This week, at the 2025 DP World Tour Championship, Tommy Fleetwood is aiming to win another title. He settled in a tie for seventh place after two rounds.

The European Tour event started on Thursday, in which he played a solid round of 65. However, he struggled in the second round, shooting 71, but still managed to secure a spot in the top 10.

Rory McIlroy is also having a strong outing this week and is tied for second at 9-under after two rounds. He played a first round of 66 at the DP World Tour Championship and then followed it with a second round of 69. Nicolai Højgaard has taken the lead at 12-under. It’s a four-day event and will conclude on Sunday, November 16.